Persona 4: Red, White, And Blue
by FortunesHand
Summary: The tv's are back at it again, folks, although, they seem to have chosen a new target. A messy suburb known as Renton. When a newcomer comes to town, things seem to go off the deep end. Will he be able to solve whatever is going on? Who knows. This is a story mainly based around OC. Possible change to M rating in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Hello folks. I suppose it's time for me to jump into this crowded world full of Fanfiction. This is my first upload, and honestly, I don't know how to feel about it, honestly. This is a nearly entirely OC based fanfic, which probably turns almost all of you off immediately, but, nonetheless, this is my attempt. This is based in the Persona universe, I'd say about...10 years later? I'll have official time periods at some other point. Nonetheless, this is a bit of a test chapter. I have a few others written, but I just want to gauge reactions for now. Any reviews would be nice, although, please try not to be rude. This is a bit of a songfic, as the main character is a music addict, and there will be a small playlist of about 4 or 5 songs every chapter. Whether you listen to them or not is your choice. Feel free to come to me with any questions.

Of Mice And Men: Second And Sebring.

Dimmu Borgir: Hybrid Stigmata

Motionless In White: Creatures

Dio: Rainbow In The Dark

Andra: The Rain Don't Talk To Me No More

...

The boy sighed gruffly and glared at his iPod. He growled lightly at the inanimate object, as he switched to the next song. Second and Sebring. Next. Creatures? He smiled and laid back in his chair happily. Upon lifting his head away from his iPod, he noticed others on the train staring at him. He quickly surveyed the onlookers, choosing the strongest man of them all. A large Caucasian male, late 20s to early 30s in appearance, was staring at the teenager. The boy quickly flashed a grin with signs of malicious intent, making his perfectly sharpened fangs visible in the process. "There a problem here, sir?" the boy asked, a deep, menacing growl in his throat.

The man flinched at the sight of the youths teeth, and turned away at the sound of his voice, pretending to have never noticed the boy. The rest of the strangers followed suit and looked away quickly. Jackie let out a small chuckle, the grin never leaving his face, as he turned his eyes back to the window. He slid his large black and white headphones over his ears and yawned softly. At that moment he realized how tired he was, and switched his iPod to his playlist for softer music. He crossed his arms over his chest, and soon after, drifted away, into the world of dreams.

...

The boy was awoken by the screaming vocals and hard hitting drums of Dimmu Borgir. The loud noise snapped him into a defensive statem and he jumped to his feet, whipping around, in search of any sort of danger. The terrified expressions spread across the faces of the passengers told him that nothing was wrong, and he had just scared the everloving shit out of sighed to himself and mumbled a quiet apology, before taking his seat again and attempting to go back to sleep. That act was in vain. He was far too hopped up on adrenaline to go back to sleep now. In response to his boredom, he pulled the black notebook he loved so dearly out of his backpack, and began to write, hoping that would pass the time faster.

...

By the time the young man got to his stop he had written a good bit. He had wrote Eight poems, and two songs. He absolutely hated both of the songs, as well as 5 of the poems. He was alright with 2 more of the poems and completely in love with the last one. He smiled as he wrote the title across the top of the page. 'The Cage' (this will come up later).

As the train came to a stop, he slid his book back into his bag, and slung it over his shoulder. He picked up his other bag, which was a bit larger, as well as the large guitar shaped bag, and stepped off the train. He looked around quickly, not seeing the man he was looking for. He let out a soft sigh, and pulled the fur filled hood over his head, hiding his long silver hair from the rain. He took a small box out of his pocket, opened it and slid a stick of pocky out of it. He placed the chocolate end between his lips and leaned back against a pillar, his arms crossed over his chest. He wasn't exactly fond of the taste of Pocky, but the feeling was calming so he dealt with it.

...

Not too long after, he noticed a fairly thin, lean looking man come rushing into the station. His hair was cropped short and was fairly normal. His face was chiseled and clean shaven, and his clothing was an attractive mixture of lazy and stylish. The boy recognized the man as his uncle and let out a sharp whistle, catching his uncles attention. He raised his hand nonchalantly when the man looked back in his direction. The man smiled, gave a sloppy looking wave and called to someone behind him. The boy was now rather confused, as he could not see anyone who appeared to be with the man. He quickly shrugged it off, and began to walk forward to greet the man, popping another stick of Pocky into his mouth.

Upon reaching the boy, the man grinned widely, and held out his hand, waiting for it to be shook. "The names John. John Wilson. It's been quite a while hasn't it? I think the last time I saw you you were...5?...I believe that's right" the man said with a resounding cheerfulness, as the young man shook his hand and gave a small nod.

"And this is my little girl Emily. Emily, stop being so shy and say hello."

A small blonde girl was peering out from behind the tall man's legs. She was young. Couldn't have been older than 8. She jumped at the sound of her name, and clung to her father's legs. He chuckled softly and nudged her off his legs, towards the boy who would be invading her home for a while. The boy smiled sweetly and crouched down to the girls level. "Hi there Emily. Can you close your eyes for a second?" the boy said, his voice as soft as a whisper.

The girl nodded quite stiffly, obviously still rather afraid of this boy. He smiled sweetly and took the girls hand, brought it forward, and opened it. He then reached into his pocket, pulling out another small box. He placed it into Emily's hand, and closed her small fingers around the box. he stood back up and spoke. "You can open your eyes now, sweetie."

Emily opened her eyes and her face lit up. In her hands was a box of Pocky. The boys extra box, to be precise. The boy smiled at her reaction knowing he had made the right choice. "It's nice to meet you, Emily. I'm your cousin. I'm going to be staying with you and your daddy for a year. I hope we can get along. My name is Jackie" he explained, a soft smile gracing his sharp features, as he looked down to the timid girl at his feet.

Emily's cheeks flushed to a rosy shade of pink and she nodded once again. John who had been watching this whole exchange chuckled heartily and led them out of the station.


	2. Welcome Home

Round 2, folks. I'm uploading at a bit of a quick pace, just to get things off the chopping block. They will begin to slow down eventually.

Todays songs:

Coheed and Cambria: Welcome Home

Shinedown: 45

Powerwolf: Werewolves Of Armenia

Against Me!: Reinventing Axel Rose

You're Not Here: Silent Hill 3 opening

(Understand, these songs are not there for the purpose of suiting the story. They are to give Jackie a bit of character. Although, they just might fit the story a bit)

…..

"So, how is Rachel? We haven't talked in so long" John asked the young man, as he took a seat next to Emily at the table.

Jackie thought to himself 'Lucky you', and decided to go with a "Shes fine" and a look that said to drop the subject.

John took the hint, and sweet little Emily was too busy timidly picking at her food to notice the tension in the air. Jackie felt bad for making things awkward and quickly switched to a more Emily friendly topic. "How old are you, sweetie?"

Jackie momentarily forgot about the existence of his fangs and smiled a smile he interpreted as calming. Luckily, Emily did not seem to notice the fangs. He wasn't sure about John, but that was a topic for a later time. She jumped slightly at being addressed by the man now invading her house, before putting on a shy smile and giving him a response. "I'm 7..." she said quietly, holding up 7 fingers.

"You go to school right up the street, right?" Jackie continued, as he stood up and took his plate to the sink, as instructed by his uncle.

Emily noticeably perked up at the mention school. "Uh huh! I love school!" she responded, a cute, childlike bubbliness to her voice, as John listened intently.

"Really? Well, that's fantastic!" Jackie said, putting it on a bit thick with the false enthusiasm.

"Yup! Don't you like school?"

"Not...Exactly.

"Well, why no-" Emily began before being interrupted by the ringing of John's phone. John let out an audible sigh and rose, taking both his own plate and Emily's to the sink. Never in this time did he even glance at his phone.

Jackie at this point was even more confused. The older man had picked up his jacket and appeared to be making his way to the door. Jackie watched silently, hoping there would be some sort of explanation, from Johns side of things. That wish was not fulfilled, as his Uncle stepped outside the house, and shouted back through the door "Watch the house, you two. I'll probably be back tomorrow."

As the door shut, Jackie looked to Emily to see if there was any hint of surprise on her face, or anything of the sort. Again, he was disappointed, as the girl just went on with her normal business. No emotion on her face, whatsoever. As Emily eventually turned her attention away from washing the dishes in the sink, and looked to Jackie, Jackie raised his eyes quizzically. Emily seemed to realize that the boy was confused, by the boy's face alone (which, in of itself, surprised Jackie, that this little girl could pick up on something so subtle. He made a mental note of that, and decided he'd have to watch out for that). "Daddy works at the hospital. Whenever he gets a call this late at night, it's because they need him there. He usually comes back the next day. He has to work a lot", she said, with a hint of bitterness gracing the last sentence.

Jackie decided to leave that be, considering it wasn't exactly his business. He realized how tired he was at this point and decided it was time to start his nightly ritual anew. "I understand. My parents work a lot too. So, do you know where I'll be staying?" Jackie asked the young girl, as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and picked up his case.

She quickly jumped back into her cheerful, childlike, personality, and gave Jackie a quick "Yup! Follow me!" as she began to make her way up the stairs.

Jackie followed, getting more and more confused by the second, at this little girls quick changing of her disposition. "Bipolar, maybe? I don't think that's too common with kids her age" he quietly said to himself.

"What'd you say?"

"Oh! N-nothing!" Jackie responded quickly, trying to cover his tracks, as he followed Emily, who shrugged it off as nothing, into a room, empty besides a couch, a desk, a bed, a table, sitting in front of that couch, and a television. Jackie took a fast inventory of his room, and thanked Emily for showing him to his room, as she walked back out, not acknowledging his thanks. Jackie sighed slightly as she walked out. "Welcome home, Jackie…" Jackie said softly, as he fell into the couch, a weak expression across his face.

He smiled; sadly, as he picked up the large case he had brought with him, and opened it up. Out of it, he pulled the large, painted piece of wood. His old guitar. He quickly looked it over, and tuned it, as he began to relax himself. Jackie picked it off the table in front of him, placed his feet onto the table, and began to play. If there was one thing in the world he was proud of, it was his ability to play guitar. He strummed along with ease, not using a pick, even if that wasn't exactly good for his fingers. He slowly drifted away into the music, following each note. He wasn't playing any song in particular, yet, in a weird way, he knew this song all too well. The song of a man with nothing to worry about, yet with all the worry in the world, stuck in his thick skull. The song of a man who didn't know what he wanted to play, and frankly didn't give a damn.

After a while of playing, he noticed his door was cracked, slightly, and smiled devilishly. He knew what was outside that door, and it brought a little bit of joy to his cold heart. He rose from his spot on the couch, never taking his fingers away from the guitar, or even slowing down his pace. He took a couple steps towards the door, and turned his body, placing the headstock in between the door knob, and the maple of his door. He tugged the door open, to reveal small little Emily, with a rather embarrassed look on her face, and a hint of pink, in her cheeks. Jackie chuckled quietly and motioned for the little girl to come in, with his head. She caught the meaning of the motion, and took a step into the room, shutting the door behind her, as Jackie took his place on the couch. "You know, you don't have to watch from out there right?"

The little girl had been staring at her cousin's guitar, and was jolted back to the world of the living by his words. Jackie smiled, at her to reassure her, forgetting about the fangs once again. At this point, he swore, she just didn't care. "Any requests?" Jackie asked the girl, trying to ease any worry she might have.

She shook her head, stiffly, and a bit too hard. Jackie chuckled. The timid nature of this girl was endearing. "Nothing?...Well, I'll pick then. Want me to sing too?"

"You can sing too?!" The girl shouted with childlike wonder and glee. Jackie let out a deep laugh, and threw his head back, against the top cushion of the couch. "Anybody who plays a guitar thinks they can sing. More often than not, they're dead wrong, but I'll see what I can do for you." Jackie responded, a large smile spreading across his face in the process.

Jackie looked down at his guitar, and closed his eyes tight, trying to think of some way to impress the little girl, because, why the hell not? If he was going to sing for this little girl, he was going to try and give her the best damn singing she had ever heard. He grinned as it hit him like a sack of bricks. He knew exactly what to sing. The song was by no means incredibly complicated, but it gave each singer a good bit of freedom.

He exhaled, deeply, looking down at his guitar. Quickly checking the strings to make sure it was tuned properly. After making sure everything was in order, he looked up from his guitar, and began to play for this little girl. The largest audience he had ever had, considering he was too shy to sing for people (But fuck if he'd ever admit that), yet he wasn't afraid at all. Something about this sweet little girl gave him courage, as he opened his lips, and let all thoughts in his head flow from it.

Send away for a priceless gift

One not subtle, one not on the list

Send away for a perfect world

One not simply, so absurd

In these times of doing what you're told

Keep these feelings, no one knows

What ever happened to the young man's heart?

Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart

And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45,

I'm swimming through the ashes of another life

There's no real reason to accept the way things have changed

Staring down the barrel of a 45

Send a message to the unborn child

Keep your eyes open for a while

In a box high up on the shelf, left for you, no one else

There's a piece of a puzzle known as life

Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight

What ever happened to the young man's heart

Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart

And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45,

I'm swimming through the ashes of another life

There's no real reason to accept the way things have changed

Staring down the barrel of a 45

Everyone's pointing their fingers

Always condemning me

And nobody knows what I believe

I believe

And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45,

I'm swimming through the ashes of another life

There's no real reason to accept the way things have changed

Staring down the barrel of a 45

The adolescent finished the song, and brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking to Emily for any reaction or response. The little girl was watching him with tears in her eyes, and a smile on her face. "That was so pretty…But…It sounded so sad...What's a forty five?" she said, in response to the youths playing.

He smiled and looked into the young girl's eyes, as he set his guitar back on the table. He took one of her tiny hands in large, calloused, paws. "Well, that was a sad song, sweetie…But that doesn't mean it has to make you sad…The world is…Well…It's a rough place...And hopefully a 45 is something you never have to learn about" Jackie responded, as he attempted to watch his language with the intent of keeping this young ones innocent ears, and pure, untainted mind.

She nodded slightly, listening intently. "Do a favor to a boy who's taken everything he's ever had for granted. Do not let the world tell you who you are. Do not let the world take what you believe in from you, and don't you dare, no matter what happens, give up on yourself. When times get rough, take your finger, like this" Jackie continued, raising his middle finger, and bringing the others down to a fist. "Raise your hand to the sky, with your finger like this, and smile" Jackie finished, demonstrating the action to the young girl.

Emily mimicked his motion, looking back to Jackie for a sign of approval. He nodded his head, with a look of pride spread across his face. He then stood up, and yawned. "It's getting late, Emily. We've got school tomorrow, so we should probably get to sleep." Jackie said to this youth with a look of tiredness.

The girl gave her quick thanks to Jackie for spending time with her, and left, with the widest smile Jackie had ever seen on someone so small. Jackie chuckled to himself, and collapsed onto his bed. He stared at the roof of the confines of his new life, and sighed. He stared at the roof lost in thought until he soon passed out.

…..

Jackie sighed gruffly as he came to, and rolled onto his side, looking at the clock function on his phone. 11:45. Jackie rolled over and tried to return to his "restful" sleep but his mind wouldn't allow him to rest. He tossed the covers off his body and sat up, sitting on the foot of his bed, his mind lost in thoughts. "11:59…Oh great…One minute till that day, yet again…" Jackie whispered to himself, as he rested his head on his palms and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. Just as he pulled his head from his hands, things seemed to go a bit off kilter.

His TV turned itself on. I repeat. It turned itself on. The damn thing was unplugged, and turned off, yet here it was, filling the room with a dim sea of pale yellow light. "What the fuck..." Jackie said quietly, as he jumped from the bed, and kneeled before the TV. On the TV was a silhouette, too dark to properly decipher, and appearing as little more than a shadow. Jackie was mesmerized by the strange act of the Television. Something in his body urged him to reach out and touch the screen. To his shock and awe, his arm seemed to phase through it. His arm was inside the TV…And the hard glass screen was rippling around his arm, like a dull pond.

Jackie was speechless. I mean, what the hell do you say when a TV FUCKING SWALLOWS YOUR ARM. For some reason, his body urged him to force more of his arm inside, and Jackie followed the strange urge. While he was pushing more of his arm inside, something seemed to grab his arm, and began pulling on it. Jackie quickly tugged his arm free and fell back, smacking the back of his head against the table edge, and yelled loudly. "FUCK" he shouted, alongside the loud crash.

"Jackie? Are you okay?!" Emily screamed fearfully, as Jackie heard her rushing down the hallway. Jackie suddenly felt quite terrible and felt the need to rectify the situation, speaking up to respond. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped and hit my head. I'm alright though."

"I'm coming in, alright? You should have your head looked at before going back to sleep" Emily responded, as she twisted the doorknob. Jackie panicked slightly, cursing himself for not locking the door. He looked to the TV, which, for some inexplicable reason he didn't want her to see. Seeing that it had returned to normal, he let out a sigh of relief…That is until he realized the sharp pain, pulsing through his head.

Emily entered the room and hit the light switch, looking to Jackie, sitting on the floor with an embarrassed smile on his face. She sighed and sat down on the table directly behind him, looking at the back of Jackie's head. "I'm assuming it's around this area, and that you hit this table. Am I right?" Emily asked as she felt the back of his head, scanning for any deformities or oddities. Jackie nodded slightly, attempting to avoid breaking her concentration. She stood back up in a little bit and walked back to the door, turning towards Jackie and saying "You've got a small bump on the back of your head. You should be fine. Maybe a bit uncomfortable for a bit, but still."

Jackie smiled and mouthed a thank you, impressed with this young girl's calm and intelligent handling of the situation. She bid Jackie goodnight as she closed the door, and he the same to her. Now that she was gone, he had some rather pressing business to take care of. Jackie stood and looked at the television. He poked it, with his index fingers final digit, and surely enough, it rippled again. "What the hell is going on here?" Jackie asked no one in particular. He sighed slightly, realizing he wouldn't be exactly able to investigate too deeply on this tonight, and decided to turn in yet again. "Hope this isn't a concussion…" he said as he lay back down on his new bed and pulled the covers over his chest. Soon, he was off in dreamland, yet again.

…..

Jackie found himself seeming to drift between two worlds in his sleep. One of this strange land of dreams he had comprised over the years, and one that seemed to be one of these goofy fun houses with the fucking mirrors everywhere…Jackie sighed as his mind seemed to choose the funhouse. "Mirrors…It had to be fucking mirrors, didn't it..." Jackie asked himself looking into a large mirror directly in front of him, appearing to be the only one that wasn't distorting his appearance.

Jackie had done his best to avoid looking at any mirrors so far, in his new home, yet was drawn to this one for some reason. Jackie was a tall kid for his age. 6'1 and very lean. Rather muscular, although it didn't really show through all of his clothing. His face was very sharp and well defined, as well as clean-shaven. His hair was a long mane of silver, which reached down past his thin shoulders, and took its rest upon his chest. He sighed, unwilling to look at his face anymore, disgusted by its appearance, and disgusted by himself. He looked his body over, realizing he was wearing his favorite outfit. His white hooded vest, sat upon his black tank top, with the Slayer logo, embossed upon its chest. His pants were baggy, black, and made from denim. On his hands, he wore black, fingerless gloves, 3 white stripes along the wrist and a white x on the back of his hand. He took note of how much he liked this outfit, and thought to wear it when he awoke from this strange dream…His eyes were pulled from the floor back to the mirror by some force he didn't see, and he stared into the man behind the glass's eyes.

It hurt him. It truly did. It disgusted him. It made him sick. Sicker than he already was. Not the kind of sick where you're coughing up a fucking lung, which he was also rather used to, but the sick where you want to sit in a corner and cry. He stared for a solid minute before he couldn't take it anymore. The man in the mirror mocking him. He looked to it and screamed "YOU'RE NOT ME!" as he thrust his fist through the glass. For some unknown reason, there seemed to be nothing on the other side, and the world around him seemed to collapse, leaving him standing in a world devoid of life, sound and, well, anything…Anything except this oddly thick mist.

Soon after stepping through the frame into this world, it began to change. In front of him, the mist around his feet began to fade, and a path began to form before his feet, the mist still shrouding everything else in the thick fog-like substance. Jackie gave one more quick scan of the area and began talking to himself yet again. "Don't really have much choice, do I?" he asked quietly, and began to walk along the well-used path. Slowly, the footprints along the path became quite few, until they vanished altogether, and all that was before him, was a path of what appeared to be untouched snow. He sighed and continued walking, lost in his thoughts along the way. "Why I haven't woken up yet, I'll never understand…God damn, I need some friends. Tired of talking to myself. Even in my dreams" he continued, with a soft, pitiable chuckle. After what seemed like hours of walking, he stopped, and sat down on the cold ground.

"Fuck it. I'll wake up when I wake up…" the adolescent said to himself, before losing himself in silent wonder. He suddenly realized, he was seating on a circular platform. The platform was empty, except for a ridiculously large candle, made out of some strange, blackened metal. He quickly hopped to his feet, and walked to the candle, confused as to how he hadn't noticed it yet. When he reached the candle, there was no flame burning. It was just a broken sphere, which looked like half an egg, sitting atop a bar of solid metal. Although, there was something inside the sphere…It was a blue tarot card.

Jackie spent several minutes just staring at the blue tarot card. It was calling out to him. Something was telling him to reach for it, and take it, but every ounce of sense in his body told him not to. Jackie realized at that very moment that he didn't exactly like when things made sense, and reached into the sphere, pulling out the blue card. He flipped the card over, and on the other side of it appeared a clown or jester of some sort. Suddenly the card began to speak to him…Well, not exactly, but the voice in his head seemed to react to the card being touched. "Thou art I…" The voice began.

Suddenly, the card shattered, and from it emerged a great wolf, with two heads, and black fur. The right side of the wolf's chest was emblazoned with a symbol of the sun, and the left, a moon. The wolf stared into the eyes of the man who summoned them watching in awe. "Our master…We are Geri and Freki…We are the dogs that chase away the darkness, and chase away the light…May our journey together find you the truth to all that ails you, and all that shall cause you pain…" the great wolf said, each head speaking, before fading away. Half the body faded into light, and the other into dark.

The adolescent felt a great surge of power as the wolves faded from the realm of site, and a strange urge possessed him. He looked to the sky and shouted "PERSONAAAAAAAAA!". The end of his shout devolved into a great howl, and the boy fell to his knees panting. From the air before him, the card materialized and shattered. From the fragments, a blue light shone and the great wolf rose once more, its head bowed to its new master. "Together, master…We can change everything…" the wolf said quietly, before joining its 'master', in a great howl.

…..

The world around Jackie faded out of focus, and disappeared. Jackie had awoken. He was inside his new bed, and his head burned like mad. "What the hell was that…" Jackie wondered aloud as he sat up, resting his head in his hands. He saw the sunlight seeping through the window, and decided it was time to get up. If only he knew now what awaited him.


	3. Turn It Up

This is a compulsory Character Introduction chapter. Many main characters are to be announced in this chapter, including one you'll all recognize.

Songs Of The Chapter:  
Cult Of Personality (Living Colour)  
Make My Day (Motorhead)  
The Way I Feel (Rancid)  
Opinion (Device)

* * *

Look in my eyes, what do you see?

The cult of personality

I know your anger, I know your dreams

I've been everything you want to be

I'm the cult of personality

Like Mussolini and Kennedy

I'm the cult of personality

Jackie grinned, more than happy with his iPods choice of music at the moment. He rose from his bed and began to get ready for his first day in school since he was kicked out of the last one. He put on the outfit marked in his dreams, pulled the light earbuds out of his iPod and slipped them into his pocket. As he did so, he picked up his far larger headphones, which covered his entire ears. They were black, and the shield was marked with a large white x, much like the gloves he was currently wearing. He slipped those over his ears and went back to his music, and his morning preparations.

As Jackie was stepping out of his room, he almost slammed the door into a tiny visitor of his. Little Emily had been waiting patiently outside his door. Jackie quickly apologized for almost taking the little one out with his door and asked why she was waiting there, sliding the large headphones around his slender neck for safe keeping. Emily stared at her feet, a hint of rose to her cheeks, and wouldn't look up. "Ummm…" she began, before being interrupted by a rather enthusiastic Jackie?

"Waaaaait a minute. I got this. I can figure this one out…You want me to…Walk you to school?" Jackie asked hopefully. Emily looked up, giving one of those trade mark mood swing smiles only she could pull off and nodded. Jackie gave a light fist pump, happy to be making progress with this young girl, wherein most situations, he wouldn't give a sinnnngle fuck. There was just something about this one that filled him with some feeling he wasn't quite used to. Seemed like…childlike wonder and fun, to quote the Tron of Jon.

As the two walked towards Emily's school, as well as Jackie's, which appeared to be reached by going the same way, the small talk commenced, before it eventually returned to that question. That one that Jackie did not want to answer, in hopes of protecting this poor youthful child's innocent mind. "J…Jackie…Why don't you like school?" Emily asked, much like the night before, although, there appeared to be nothing that would save him today.

Jackie crouched down to her level, ready to give her the simplest explanation he possibly could, while still attempting to sugar coat the truth. "Well…You see, I've ha-"Jackie began before being interrupted by a crude shriek that resembled that of a deep voiced, dying harpy. "EY YO FAGGOT!" the shriek said. Jackie sighed gruffly, already knowing where this shit was going, and pointed in the direction of the shriek, hoping that would explain his hatred for school. After putting that down, Jackie began to make out the group, all the while, telling the now shaking Emily to go ahead, and go to school. "Go ahead. We can talk about this more when I get home…" Jackie said coldly, his clenched fists shaking with rage.

Emily hesitated momentarily, until Jackie shouted at the poor girl "JUST FUCKING GO!" noticing that the thugs had gotten closer. Jackie now had a good view of the two as Emily ran off. The first was taller than Jackie, appearing to be about six six, and African American), with his pants sagging below his waist. There was also a large Samoan man, about Jackie's height, but probably double his weight. "Problem, boys?" Jackie asked, a sinister smirk crossing his face.

"Nah. Not at all. Just wanted ta' welcome ya' to the community. Ya new here, boi?" The large black man asked, as him and his large friend cut off any routes to escape, as if Jackie would try and escape anyway. Jackie gave a light chuckle, pulling a stick of Pocky out of his pocket, and sticking it between his teeth and lips. "What's with the candy? You a faget er somethin'?" The Samoan asked, as he and his friend encroached upon Jackie. The man in the back shoved Jackie forward, and Jackie use this momentum to take the large black man in front of him down, in a diving tackle of sorts. The Samoan behind him went for a punch to the back of our heroes head, but by this point, he had already spring boarded off of the large man, in a somersault like fashion. The Samoan did not stop his swing in time, and cracked his buddy in the chest. As he pulled his head back up, he was met by a foot, making its mark directly beneath his chin. Jackie, was in front of the black man, hands on the ground, facing away from, the Samoan, with a foot lifted in the air in a weird capoeira like motion. He put the foot back down, and used his hand hold on the ground to push his body into a flip, landing on his feet. The second he landed on his feet, he contorted his body into a spinning kick, catching the black man, who was beginning to rise now, in the temple, and flipping his body over.

Jackie finally took stance, shifting his weight between his feet, and hopping between each foot, as his hands made their way to his chest. The right, despite being the back fist was directly underneath his chin. The left was held at a point keeping his elbow out, and placing the fist underneath his other. The men eventually rose to their feet and appeared to want to attack again, but showed obvious hesitation. "Come on boys. Got anymore in ya'?" Jackie mocked the two, hopping from foot to foot, all the while, somehow keeping the Pocky safe and unsnapped between his teeth.

The two appeared ready to strike again, but were held off by a call from the rooftops. "Not really worth it, guys. Back down. Kids got nothing anyway." The voice shouted. Jackie looked around for the source of the voice, and found it. The voice came from a man appearing about 2 or 3 inches shorter than Jackie, and also rather muscular. The man's arms were crossed over his chest, which was bare for some reason, with a large tattoo on it that Jackie couldn't quite make out. The Man wore baggy shorts, the legs dropping far below his knees, with various chains between the pockets connecting them. He had nothing covering his chest, but he indeed wore a black hoodie, opened and flapping in the wind as he stood on the rooftop. He jumped down from his perch, not long after, his short sandy blond hair being ruffled slightly by the action. The boy approached Jackie, after his cat like landing from the rooftop to the hard concrete below. He appeared to be shaken by no means, and stood directly in front of Jackie. They were at eye level with one another, and stared silently into each other's eyes, a quiet passion, radiating from each man.

"Boys, get out of here. Go take care of something else." The new boy continued, never pulling his oddly discolored eyes away from the newcomer to his neighborhood. The larger two began to protest but that was stifled by a look from the other, murder in his eyes, as the smirk was now gone from his face. The two big men slinked away quietly, although grumbling something Jackie could not hear, and didn't truly care about in the first place. "Those your men?" Jackie asked with no tone of emotion in his voice. The Sandy haired wonder gave a small chuckle and nodded. "Sadly. Boys get a bit carried away, although, there was no need to cause any damage to them." The boy spoke up, his calm and cheerful demeanor fading away slightly with the last words.

Jackie let out a low laugh and grinned before looking to what he expected to be a new challenger and speaking "You're fucking joking, right? Yeah, I totally started that shit." The blonde boy gave back a vicious smile of his own. "You started that the minute you stepped onto our turf" the teen said firmly. Jackie laughed at this even harder. "Your turf? YOUR FUCKING TURF?! THIS IS A SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOOD IN WHITE AMERICA! WHY IN THE NAME OF GOD (or whatever the fuck is out there) WOULD THIS BE 'YOUR TURF'?!" Jackie shouted incredulously. "You kinda answered your own question, bro. Suburban area. White America. Lot of money to go around, and who the fuck would expect it?" the other responded.

Jackie gave this a bit of thought, and honestly, it made sense. It would have worked with probably anyone else in the neighborhood, judging from the people Jackie had already seen. The plan made sense, but that didn't mean Jackie liked it. "It's not your turf anymore" Jackie said quietly, venom in his words. "And whose gonna stop us?" The blonde said, drawing closer to Jackie. Jackie did not back down. All he said after that was a single word. "Me."

Jackie swung at the newcomer, but by the time his fist should have connected with the man, he hit nothing but air. The boy had ducked underneath the blow, and had thrown a rough uppercut into the stomach of the silver haired man, encroaching on his territory. Jackie stumbled back, and took a moment to regain his composure, before taking his stance again, this time, more than ready to use it. "He's fast, and that punch is no joke…" Jackie thought to himself, the blow settling in his ribs. The boy in front of him had taken a stance as well. His left hand extended rather slightly, and making a paw shape. Tiger style. Odd. Jackie had actually never seen that in anything but the movies.

The boy charged Jackie, and to his surprise, jumped into a kick. Jackie reacted quickly, and bridged underneath the leg of his attacker. The man soared over him, rather gracefully, landing on his feet, and quickly turning his body into a spinning back kick aimed at the jaw of the silver haired man, who had risen to his feet, and turned his body. Jackie caught the boy's foot, and kicked his other out from under him. As the boy fell to the ground, he outstretched his leg, and in a strange twisting motion, turned his fall into a kick to the side of Jackie's head, although injuring himself in the process. Jackie released the moment the boy's foot connected with his jaw, causing the boy to fall onto the back of his head and top of his spine. The boy kipped up, fast as lightning, springing from his spot on the ground, back to his obscure stance, as Jackie regained his balance and took his own.

"What time is it?" the aggressive teen yelled to Jackie, surprising him.

"What?"

"What. Fucking. Time. Is. It."

"Uhhh…7:30…" Jackie responded checking his watch.

"Go ahead and get to school, we'll do this some other time." The teen shouted to Jackie, an odd smile on his face, as he turned and sprinted off into the distance, leaving Jackie standing there in confusion. He decided to think nothing else of it for now, and began to run to school, already being late as it was. As he ran, he placed his headphones back over his ears, only just now noticing they were around his neck the whole time. He reached the door by 7:34, and having only one minute left, ran to the classroom that was supposedly his new homeroom, and burst through the door, just as the bell rang, startling the other students. He was greeted by the stares of many; the most surprised looking of all being the man Jackie assumed was the teacher. The man was tall, and thin. His hair was the same tone of silver as our hero, and his face clean-shaven. He wore a black jacket, and what appeared to be a white dress shirt underneath. The man was rather handsome and very young looking for a teacher.

"Jackie, correct?" The man said with no tone or emotion behind it. Jackie, still exhausted from his journey to this place was now very tired, and gave a nod, not wanting to speak. "Welcome to Japanese class. My name is Yu Narukami, although in the classroom, I go by Senpai" the man finished, holding out his hand. Jackie quickly jumped to attention and shook the hand of this man. "Sumimasen, Senpai." Jackie said, giving a slight bow of his head. Jackie swore he saw a smirk cross the face of his teacher as he turned towards the class, quickly scanning it over. "My name is Jackie. Jackie Wilson. It's nice to meet all of you." The boy said, a hint of insincerity hiding underneath his words.

The teacher either didn't notice, or just didn't care enough to say anything about it. Jackie assumed the latter. "You'll be seated next to Annabel-San, as well as Lucien-San, if he ever shows up, that is. Don't bet on that one." The teacher said to Jackie, pointing to the quiet girl, reading a book at her desk. She was actually rather cute. She wore thick rimmed glasses, which complimented the almond shape of her face and pale skin rather well, a black tank top, and a grey hoodie, with the hood over her long blond hair, some of which had been swept over one of her murky green eyes. She was very absorbed in the book, Poe, and didn't even look up at the mention of her name. Jackie thought it strange but didn't give it any more thought, taking his place beside the girl.

Annabel jumped at the sound of the boy dropping his bag beside her, only now seeming to notice there was someone else in the room. In the process she dropped her book to the side of her desk. Jackie sighed, reached down, and grabbed the book, handing it back to the girl, who finally seemed to notice the new student, as she snatched the book from his hands, aggressively. She glared at the silver eyed newbie and growled "I could have picked it up myself just fine. I don't need your help. Mind your own business."

Jackie raised his eye brow, seeming to take this as a challenge. "Nice to meet you as well, princess. Ever heard of a thing called chivalry? I was the reason it fell off, so why the fuck should I just leave it there? How about just take it and quietly thank me like a proper lady?" Jackie chided, a smug smirk across his face the entire time. The girl stood up, now fuming. She was so angry Jackie was surprised he didn't see steam coming out of her now beet red ears like in an old cartoon. The girl was several inches shorter than Jackie. Actually, nearly a foot shorter, which caused a shallow laugh to come from Jackie, as she stood against him, her head tilted at a near 90 degree angle, just to look into his eyes. It was a rather strange site. This tiny little girl looking up at this snowcapped mountain of lean muscle before her, no fear in her eyes. The girl suddenly lashed out, surprising Jackie and kicking him in the shin. Jackie flinched but did not go down, before the teacher stepped between the two. "Louise-San, take your seat, or I'll be forced to give you a write up". The girl snapped back into shy mode and let out a high pitched squeak, covering her mouth with her hands, in a manner similar to that of a small child, before practically jumping her desk to return to her seat and get back to her book.

Jackie just stood there in shock, as the teacher turned his attention to the silver haired, presumably delinquent, standing in front of them. "Gin-San. Please take your seat as well. I'd rather we not have problems on our first day here..." the man continued. Jackie grumbled "My name isn't silver", and returned to his seat beside the girl. The teacher raised his eyebrow and chuckled.

"If it's not Gin-San, what do I call you, Gin-San?" the teacher jested, no tone or emotion visible in his words, but still strangely readable. "My name, perhaps?" Jackie grumbled to himself, a gruff expression spread across his face. The teacher responded with a hollow shrug and went back to his desk to begin the lesson. The lesson came with an assignment. Fairly simple. Jackie finished first, and sat back in his chair, hands behind his head. He closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep, only to be awoken by the sound of a light tapping on his desk. He quickly roused himself, and looked to the source of the noise. It was the girl who sat behind his desk, Jackie hadn't looked her over very much, but now was as good a chance as any to make a snap judgment, he supposed (Even if those had been a bit off as of late).

The girl was tall, with her blond hair that had strong hints of a light red to it, cropped wildly, leaving it a couple inches shorter than Jackie's silver locks which reached to his chest. She was actually very tall, but not in an awkward way. Her figure and attire gave her a feeling of elegance. She had a very clean, wholesome, smile, unlike the sharp grin of the boy sitting before her. There was a small gap between her front teeth, which actually, for some strange reason, was rather cute. Her body was fairly curvy, but not overly so, and it was cloaked in calming, light colors. Her eyes, a stormy shade of blue, and her face, framed by a small set of dimples. Good lord, this girl is beautiful. "Yes ma'am?" Jackie spoke up, still taking in the sight of this magnificence. She smiled that sweet smile of hers, and began to speak. "We share the same class this period. I feel it would be proper of me to guide you." The girl said in response. Her voiced exuded a sort of refinement that had been practiced for years. Her voice seemed to float, in a way, slowly wrapping itself around our hero, and pulling him into a trance like state.

He nodded, unable to speak, and rose from his seat. He walked alongside the girl. She appeared to be about 6 feet tall, considering she was maybe 2 or 3 inches shorter than Jackie. "I hope your brief interaction with Miss Louise doesn't make you think badly of her, nor this school. She's a rather sweet girl, albeit a bit moody and withdrawn." The girl said, a soothing smartness still flowing from her lips. Jackie, in an attempt to match her somehow casual, yet still formal air, spoke up as well. "I'm not one to be easily discouraged, ma'am. I do not believe I ever got your name? My name is Jackie Wilson. I'd like to apologize for any disturbance caused by myself or Annabel this morning. I'd be more than willing to make it up to you some time, with a coffee, or something of the sort." Jackie replied, calmly, and quickly. The beautiful masterpiece at his side let out a small giggle of sorts, a small smile gracing her elegant face. "My, my. You work rather quickly, Jackie. Be careful with your words, lest I may get the impression that you're coming on to me, sir." The beauty teased, bringing a slight blush to the cheeks of Jackie. "My name is Lilly. It's rather nice to meet you, Jackie. I just might have to take you up on that offer" The girl continues, as Jackie and she stepped through the doorway, to their next classroom.

Not long after the two took their seats next to each other, a chubby boy tripped and fell through the door, creating a loud ruckus. "MORNIN' TEACH!" the large man-child shouted, jumping to his feet, and in the process making a loud banging sound, due to smacking his knee on the table next to him, causing him to trip again and fall onto his back, in a snow angel like position, letting out a laugh too high pitched for a man his size. Lilly and Jackie were both trying to control their laughter at this point, Jackie biting his lip, and Lilly placing a hand over her mouth. "Phillip, come sit by us, before you hurt yourself." Lilly shouted, poorly covering a giggle.

Phillip did not seem to notice this and quickly jumped to his feet, giving Lilly a goofy looking salute and strutting (I shit you not, strutting, to the side of the two), as if to say 'that shit didn't just happen. Fuck you guys.' Once reaching the side of the two he noticed Jackie, putting his face directly into the face of Jackie saying "WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL, FAGGOT!" Jackie, possibly still slightly heated about the morning, took that as a challenge, and grabbed the man by his face, shoving him backwards. As Phillip tumbled through several desks, knocking them over, the teacher proceeded to continue looking at whatever was on her computer, and pay the rest of the room no mind.

Phillip lay on the ground, in the odd snow angel like position once more, and Jackie became worried that he knocked the poor man-child unconscious. Those concerns were all put to rest, as quickly as they came, when a laugh, too high pitched for a man his size erupted from his lips. "THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!" Phillip shouted as he eventually pulled himself back to an upright position. Jackie, unable to control himself anymore, began to laugh like crazy, and slipped into a fit of hysterics, falling out of his seat and rolling around on the floor with laughter. Lilly watched on quietly, trying to sustain her composure, lest she fall prey to this fit of laughter, although, you could see an obvious giggle, bubbling up from her chest. Jackie's laughter proved to be contagious and Phillip joined him, now back on his feet, and using a desk to prevent himself from falling again. Eventually, Phillips laughter slowed as well as Jackie's, and Phillip was able to move from the desk. Phillip took the opportunity to strut, goofily, to the side of Jackie's body, with an outstretched hand. Jackie, forgetting every paranoid bone in his body, took the man-child's hand, and pulled himself back to a vertical base. Jackie then proceeded to shake Phillips hand and introduce himself.

"The names Jackie. Jackie Wilson. I like you, Phil. I haven't laughed that hard in years. Take a seat with us." Jackie said, motioning to the desk beside him and Lilly with his free hand. Phillips face lit up like it was fucking Christmas or something, and a huuuuge smile, spread across his jawline. The rest of the class period continued in a similar, albeit, less chaotic manner. Jackie and Phillip spent most of the period laughing jovially, and Lilly trying to control herself. At one point, Jackie and Phil even made a game out of it, seeing who could make her fall to the dreaded giggles first. Jackie won that battle, proudly, and Phil paid him the 5 dollars he now owed him. Lilly then offered a suggestion that Jackie was more than happy with. "Phillip and I would be more than willing to show you around town a bit after school, isn't that right, Phillip?" Lilly asked, nudging Phillip with her elbow. Phillip nodded giddily, and the bell rang.

Jackie went through the rest of his day quietly, not having any other classes with Phillip or Lilly (although he did have one with Annabel), and at the sound of the final bell, he was met by the two strolling through the doorway of his current class room, picking him up, and escorting him outside. "I wasn't kidding when I said we were going to show you around town" Lilly teased, after catching the surprised expression on Jackie's face. Jackie smiled, and took their friendly behavior as an act of kindness, and feeling rather glad to have met these people, they began their walk around the town. That's when things got really fucking weird.


	4. Keep The Beat Going

A quick thank you for anyone whose been keeping up with the stories patience. I've been rather busy lately, and I apologize for my odd uploading times. Anyway, in this chapter, we get a bit more involvement with several characters of this story, each soon to be very important. After his first day of school, Jackie decides to spend time with these new aquaintances of his. Let the murder begin.

Stonesour-I can't Believe

Coheed and Cambria-33

Blind Guardian-Nightfall (Love you Timmy boy)

Stratovarius-Eagleheart

"Phillip, you're so full of shit it's not even funny" Jackie said with a chuckle and shoved Phillip. The big ol' klutz almost tripped over his own shoe laces, and stumbled down a small hill. "Whoa. Might wanna trim those edges buddy. You may cut yourself." Phillip continued, as he tried to climb back up the small, falling over his own feet. Lilly who had been intently listening to this conversation about absolutely nothing, now let out a small giggle. "Hopefully, you don't mind all the idiocy happening in this general vicinity" Jackie said, motioning to himself and Phillip, who was now failing to run up this small hill, due to his inability to stay on his two appendages.

Lilly signaled him off with a flick of her hand. "I don't mind by any means. In all honesty, I find this whole process rather humorous". Once she finished that statement, Phillip finally managed to make his way back up the small incline. He took this opportunity to charge Jackie, picking him up in a mastodon sized hug, lifting him off the ground and running towards the street. "WHAT THE FUCK, PHIL?!"Jackie shouted, flailing his arms in shock. The short, yet stubby, man screamed in response "DON'T LAUGH AT ME!" running towards the road now. Jackie wiggled his body higher, and wrapped his arms around Phillips head and neck, putting him in a headlock. The rampaging brute went down directly before carrying them in the way of an oncoming car.

The two were now both on one knee panting and laughing. "Jesus Phil, you could have just asked for an apology, bud." "NOOOOOOO! That goes against everything I stand forrrrr!" Phillip shouted, punching the ground overdramatically. Lilly was watching from where they were standing before Phil's evident PTSD attack. She was practically rolling on the ground with laughter, now doubled over, although no longer making any sound. "You alright, Lilly? Getting enough air?" Jackie shouted a cheeky grin spread across his face. She nodded through the tears in her eyes, and the two made the way back to the blonde haired beauty, who was now on her back, in tears. By the time they were at her side she was on her back, having surrendered to the laughter.

"Jesus Christ, Lilly. Calm down. What was so funny about that? All he did was pick me up." "I-It's not that! I just! It was like you were a damsel being saved from distress by an overweight knight!" Lilly managed to force through the laughter. The two looked at each other, trying to decipher what in the name of god almighty Lilly was talking about. They shrugged in unison, when they realized they were getting nowhere. "Well, you've had your fun, Lilly. Come on. We've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to show your 'damsel' the rest of town." Phil responded, earning him a punch in the arm from Jackie. Lilly had fallen back into a fit of giggles and didn't appear to be hurrying to her feet. Jackie sighed, knowing exactly what to do to bring this usually elegant flower back to the soil of Earth.

He kneeled beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and standing, holding her at his side, several feet off the ground. She was now flailing her arms and legs in a panicked frenzy. Jackie quickly lifted her higher, laying her down on his shoulder, quickly readjusting himself. "Lead on, Phillip! TO FREEDOM WE RIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!" Jackie shouted, overdramatically throwing his finger to the West. Phillip saluted, and began to walk, Lilly still strewn across Jackie's broad shoulder. Jackie smiled and began walking with Phil, gently patting the back of the pouting beauty. Her cheeks were puffed out slightly, and her arms were crossed over her chest. "She's cute when she pouts…" He thought to himself silently. The trio eventually came across a large crowd of people. The largest Jackie had seen in the town, besides school.

Jackie confusedly looked around, trying to examine the faces of several people. They each had a different expression, but the gist of them were basically the same. Horrified. Jackie eventually noticed some police tape, and decided to get a better idea of what was going on. Without speaking a word, he ducked underneath the police tape, as Lilly protested on his shoulder. Phillip did not follow. Jackie walked forward a bit; taken aback that such a large area had been closed off. Not long after, he understood why. Jackie was by no means squeamish, but the site of this earned a gasp from him.

Hanging, I repeat, hanging, on a rooftop was a man's body. It wasn't just hanging though. This body was upside down, and strung onto an antennae by his intestines, which had been cut from his stomach. Lilly noticed the body, let out a quick yelp, and looked down quickly, trying to avoid the horrible sight before her. "Jackie? What are you doing here? There's police tape for a reason!" Jackie turned to the source of the voice, only to be surprised even more. "John? Wait, what are you doing here?" Jackie asked, as the man approached him. "I…Uh…Shit…Well, this town is a bit small obviously and uh…From time to time, it needs a bit of help, so I…Uh…Well…I moonlight as a coroner. Please don't tell Emily about this." John responded, a hint of pleading in his final sentence, and Jackie nodded solemnly.

"Anyways, why are you two here...And...Who is she?" Jackie suddenly realized Lilly had been on his shoulder the entire time and quickly placed her down, noticing the expression of panic that seemed to be frozen across her face. "Oh. Um…This is Lilly…Lilly, meet my uncle John. I'm actually staying with him and his daughter" Jackie said, motioning between the two. The hospital worker held out his hand, and Lilly accepted it, after a second or two more of being frozen in fear. "It's…Ahem…It's um, rather nice to meet you sir. I am a friend of your Nephews from the school. I apologize, for sneaking in here. It was my idea" Lilly said quietly, regaining that air of polite elegance Jackie had picked up on in their first meeting. John let out a hardy laugh.

"No need to lie on my account, young lady. You're just lucky it was me who caught you. Get out of here. I'll see you at home Jackie. Lilly. You appear to be a bit flushed. Might do you some good to get home." John responded, a smile across his face. Jackie and Lilly responded in unison, with a quick bow. "Thank you sir" both said, turning to walk away from this hellacious sight. They were stopped by a calling from John. "Wait you two…Um…" the two turned to face the man, only just now noticing how disheveled and awkward he looked. "Lilly…I…How do I put this…Um…I hope you get along with him" The man finished, an awkward smile gracing his sharp features. Jackie was about to speak up but was stopped by words coming from Lilly. "There's no need to worry about that, sir. Your nephew has been a delight" she said, a calm smile on her lips. This got a smile from Jackie. The two then turned to walk away once again, only to be stopped, once again. This time it was by a far different force. "GUYYYYS! I GOT WORRIED ABOUT YOU AND APARENTLY SOMEBODY DIED SO I SNUCK THROUGH BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU GUYS TO DIE AND-" the lumbering lummox before them began.

His sentence ended rather abruptly and Jackie caught a strange look in his eyes, knowing exactly where he was looking. Jackie stepped back from the boy, whose eyes were now glued to the dead body hanging on the roof, pulling Lilly with him in the process, and blocking her eyes. "Jackie, what are you-""You'll understand in a minute I promise. It'd be better for you if you didn't look". Phillip suddenly lurched forward, and the food of a day gone by bubbled into his throat, and out of his open lips, making a sickening splatter as it hit the pavement. Lilly cringed noticeably at the sound.

"AH DAMMIT PHILLIP! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! Now I have to drive your disgusting ass to the hospital!" John shouted angrily. "Whoa man. Find your Zen, it's just some vomit. You would think that a CORONER would be used to bodily fluids. Yeesh." Jackie and Lilly left without another word, not questioning why John knew Phil. It was pretty obvious Phil had been to the hospital more than once. As they left, they began to walk, going in the same direction. "Wait…Where do you live? I might as well just walk home with you. I got jumped this morning. I can't imagine it being good for a lady to walk home alone this late at night." Lilly looked at Jackie quizzically. "It's quite alright, Jackie. I can see myself home, myself. I appreciate the concern, but-""Please, Lilly. Just let me do this for you? Think of it as payment for being so kind to me today.""...Ohhh….Fine…" Lilly decided eventually, obviously not agreeing, due to the pout on her face. Jackie smiled and fell into step behind her.

From that point on they went through idle chatter, avoiding the dark subject looming in the distance. The body did not need to be discussed, and as such, would not be discussed. There were many moments of awkward silence, each trying to stave away the thought of that gruesome sight. During this particular moment of silence, a sharp sound hit Jackie's ears, stopping him in place. "What is it, Jack-""SHH!...somebody's following us…" Jackie whispered sharply and coldly, his brain going back on the defensive. "Come on out. I know you're there." Jackie said with a deep, chilling, intensity to his voice. Out from the shadows stepped an easily recognizable man.

Somewhere in the distance, Phillip looked to the sky. "I have a feeling I missed a punch line. Must remember to double up tomorrow." John looked at Phillip with a withering glare "What are you going on about now, boy?" Phillip jerked, looking to his side. "Nothing, just a feeling in my stomach."

"You better not puke again, or I'll-"

"Don't worry, sir. I'm pretty sure it's all out already."

"It better fucking be."

"Yo." The man standing across from Jackie chided, quietly. Jackie stood silently, not flinching. "Um…Good evening Lucien…I…I did not see you in school this afternoon. Th-this is Jackie. A new student. He…um…he sits beside us in Japanese class" Lilly responded to the man's nonchalant greeting, looking to her feet. "We've met" Jackie said coldly, no tone or emotion in his voice. "Yes. Yes we have" the man, apparently named Lucien, confirmed. Turning his attention away from his enemy of mere hours ago, Lucien turned his attention to Lilly. "I hope you wouldn't mind me joining you two. It's dangerous to be out this late. I could offer you protection." "I don't think that's necessary, Lucien…" Jackie growled, trying to keep his voice free of malice. "Ahh, but I insist. Lead the way, Lilly" Lucien said, ignoring Jackie entirely. Lilly looked between the two rather nervously (for some reason Jackie didn't understand), and began to guide the way.

They walked in silent tension, which seemed to be lost on Lilly, who was walking in quiet distress, for some unknown reason (COME ON JACKIE! THIS SHIT ISN'T HARD TO FIGURE OUT!). Jackie had his eyes on Lucien the entire time, watching for any signs of ill intent. None were visible, but that didn't calm the silver haired man's nerves. He sighed roughly and pulled his headphones over his ears, losing himself in the music, as he found himself so often doing. Jackie looked up to the sight of Lilly and Lucien conversing casually. "I'll ask him about all this once Lilly is safe…"

Not long after they arrived at a large white door to, I shit you not, a fucking mansion. This girl lived in a fucking castle. Jackie stared up, scanning the house in awe. "Well…Somebodies loaded…Well, shit" Jackie thought out loud, looking for the roof of the great house standing before him. This earned a slight blush from Lilly, and she began to pout. "We're not that rich…" she said, a sad expression on her face. "Well, that's beside the point. I should probably get home. Thank you for today Lilly" "No no, it was my pleasure, Jackie. I'd be more than happy to do it again sometime" Lilly responded, a smile on her face. She bowed politely, after they had all said their goodbyes, and turned going into her house. That left just Jackie, and Lucien. The two with their own unfinished business.

Lucien began to walk away, and motioned for Jackie to follow. Jackie agreed silently, and fell in step behind the boy. Eventually, the two reached a small park, surrounded by trees in all areas, except for the entrance, and they stepped inside. They walked to the center of the empty grass field, instantly taking up their stances. Wolf style and Tiger style. So similar in motions, yet, at the same time, polar opposites. Jackie decided it was time to make it clear what he was after. "I win, I want information. You seem like the type of guy who would have a lot of it". Lucien gave a silent nod, and signaled for the bout to begin.

Lucien charged at Jackie similar to this morning, jumping into a kick, which Jackie easily sidestepped, as he had been expecting it, although, as he sidestepped it, the blondes other foot connected with the back of his head. This sent Jackie stumbling forward, before regaining his footing, and spinning back in the direction of his attacker, his knee raised. He snapped off a spinning kick which connected with Lucien's jaw, sending him reeling. The two regained their footing, and took up their stance once more. Lucien took the first attack, kicking low, attempting to kick Jackie in his back leg. Jackie caught this motion by hopping onto the foot of Lucien, and swinging his back leg around his side, sweeping Lucien's other leg. Lucien fell to his back, and Jackie swiftly hopped away, taking up his stance again. Lucien quickly sprang back to a standing position, kipping up rather viciously. When his feet hit the ground, they were instantly off it again, as Lucien pushed off the ground, raising one knee higher, reaching behind Jackie's head, and slamming his nose into his kneecap. Jackie stumbled back, only to be surprised by being caught underneath the jaw by the other foot, as Lucien touched the ground again. The foot caught him by surprise, and sent him to the floor…Sort of. Jackie had stuck his hands behind his head, catching the ground, and his abdomen area was curved up into a deep arc. Jackie kicked his legs up, hitting Lucien under the jaw with the top of his left foot, and continued the follow through. Jackie sprung from a hand stand like position to his feet, to jump forward, executing a roundhouse kick to the side of the stumbling Lucien's head. This sent him to the ground.

Jackie sprinted to where Lucien lay, wrapping his lean forearm underneath his jaw, and around his neck. His other arm was placed on the top Lucien's head, applying pressure to it. Lucien slapped his arm lightly several times, signaling surrender. Jackie quickly released the boy and pulled him to his feet. "Who was killed today?" Jackie asked quickly. "Just one of those famous for being famous kind of people. She moved here recently, trying to get away from all of it, to a small town. She was involved in some idiotic scandal, right before she came here. Slept with some other famous ladies husband or something" Lucien answered, quickly brushing himself off.

"Your thugs have any involvement in this?"

"If they did, they'll be punished for it swiftly, and mercilessly. We're thieves. Not murderers."

"Any opinion on who did it?"

"Most likely somebody closely involved with the scandal, I would assume. Why so interested in the murder?"

"That's none of your concern. At least not yet. How do you know Lilly?"

"Yet? Ooooh. Feisty. Detective over here's already pointing fingers. Anyway, I've gone to the same school with the girl for years. What do you expect? I think we were childhood friends, although, I don't remember childhood all that well."

Jackie nodded, deeming these answers acceptable. "Thank you for co-operating, Lucien. Please, stay out of my neighborhood. If I hear of your group in there again, things will not go by as easily for you." Lucien smiled at the last part. He nodded and gave his words of agreement, before turning and walking from the park, his hand held up in a farewell gesture, his other stuffed into his pocket. "Do me a favor, Lucien. Come to school tomorrow" Jackie shouted after him. The boy gave a nonchalant shrug, and disappeared around the corner. Jackie let out a soft sigh and looked to the sky, staring at the beautiful stars. "Jesus, one day and I'm already breaking curfew. Guess I'm sneaking in tonight" He thought aloud, his voice quiet and soothing. Taking one last look at the sky, he pulled his headphones over his ears, and walked off, a small smile on his face. "I already like this town" his thoughts whispered to him, as his ears filled with the sweet sound of Corey Taylors angelic voice.


	5. Slow It Back Down

Guess whose back guys? Choose whatever you want for this one. Musics gonna be super important next chapter.

"Thank you for joining us today, Seerwater-San" the silver haired teacher said, nodding in the direction of the student with his feet on his desk, leaning back in his chair. The student threw his hand into the sky, giving the teacher a thumbs up, never looking at him, as his eyes were focused on the ceiling. Jackie grinned slightly and took his place by Lucien. "So the bad boy joins us for class, huh? Surprised you took my words into consideration 'Seerwater-San'" Jackie mocked the student, earning a soft chuckle and a 'hn', from the boy. "Good morning Lilly."

The blonde haired beauty whose eyes were fixed on her desk flinched at the mention of her name and, looked up at Jackie, a small smile gracing her lips. "G-good morning, Jackie".

"You seem a bit tense today, Lilly. You doing alright?" Jackie asked, a hint of worry to his tone.

"Ahh, yes. I'm just a bit distracted today. My apologies. Please don't worry about me."

"Well, I'm always available if you need to talk about something."

"You can flirt with the girl anytime, Jackass. Calm yourself" Lucien butted in. Jackie glared at him and punched him in the shoulder. This action caused Lucien to flinch, tipping his chair back farther, causing the chair to fall. On the way down, Lucien hit his head on the desk behind his own. Jackie laughed hardily and Lilly looked on with worry. "Don't tip back in your chair, and we won't have a problem like this, 'Lucy'" Jackie joked, as his laughter subsided.

"Are you alright, Lucien?" Lilly asked, a hint of worry to her voice. Jackie smiled and held out his hand to Lucien. Lucien took it and pulled himself to his feet. "Don't worry about it Lil's" Lucien said, waving her off with a gentle flick of his hand. Lilly blushed, and opened her mouth to retort, only to be interrupted by Annabel muttering something.

"Sorry, what was that?" Jackie asked, preparing for a war of words. "Idiots. YOU'RE ALL IDIOTS" Annabel said angrily, pushing out her chair, and standing to leave the classroom.

"I'd rather be stupid than a stuck up bitch, princess. Why don't you just go back to burying your head in that book of yours" Lucien responded, a smirk plastered across his face. Annabel huffed and stomped out of the classroom. "COME BACK WHEN YOU GET OVER YOURSELF, SWEETIE!" Jackie yelled after her.

"Fucking hate that girl."

"Right?"

Jackie and Lucien shared a laugh and bumped fists, as Lilly looked on, a sad expression on her face. "Is it wrong that I feel bad for her?" she asked the two boys, who had just bonded a bit.

"Fuck yes it is" The two said in unison, causing them to break out into more laughter.

"Alright class, settle down. I'll be right back. I'll go get Louise-san, and class will begin" Yu Narukami said, not caring enough to scold the two boys, who were now laughing their asses off.

Annabel came back with the teacher a few minutes later, and class commenced. They were studying something Jackie already had enough prior knowledge of to answer any question he would be asked. He spent the class period, his headphones over his ears, Killswitch playing loudly. He stared outside, and saw that it was raining. He let out a deep sigh, knowing that it was a scene he would need to grow used to. It rained like a god damn rain forest here, except this rain was not soothing or warm. It was cold and harsh. The wind was also blowing rather aggressively. Jackie hated the wind.

Class ended quickly, and the rest of the day went by much like the last, although, Phillip wasn't there today. Jackie wondered if he was sicker than he seemed. As he was leaving, Lilly walking on his right, the rain began to fall harder. Lilly had an umbrella, and pulled it up, looking to Jackie to see if he wanted to join her underneath it. He shook his head, and pulled his hood, looking to the sky. The two began to walk. Jackie had decided to walk her home today. They walked in silence for a bit, before Lilly spoke up.

"Have you ever heard of the midnight channel, Jackie?"

"The midnight channel?..."

"Yes, there is a rumor going around that if you have your TV off, on a day where it doesn't rain a drop, at midnight, the TV will turn on and show you your soul mate".

"Ahh. So that's what that was the other day…"

"Wha…Wait. You've actually seen it before?"

Jackie nodded lazily. "It was too blurry to tell who it was but there was definitely a silhouette of a girl. That wasn't the weird thing though."

"Oh? What was?" Lilly asked, still obviously shocked that he had seen the midnight channel.

"Well, I reached out to the TV to try and touch it, but, my hand sorta phased through the screen. I would have been pulled in if the TV wasn't so small."

Lilly paused for a second and looked at him, a shade of worry washing over her eyes. "Jackie, have you been dabbling into the realm of illegal substances..." she asked him, shying away from him a bit. He sighed. He had been expecting this reaction. "Is there any place around here that sells Televisions?" he sighed.

"Well yes, Wal-Mart, but, wh-" She began to respond before Jackie took her wrist and pulled her off in the direction of the Wal-Mart. Jackie dragged the girl, now slightly afraid for her life, towards the electronics section, after getting instructions from an eerily familiar large man. Eventually they reached the electronic section, and Lilly let out a soft sigh, looking to the floor. "Jackie, I'll have you know this whole process is rather silly…But, I will give you my attention. At the very least, you have my curiosity."

Jackie nodded firmly and turned towards the television, bigger than him. "Wh…What if I can't do it again…This is so stupid…I'm so stupid…Sorry, Lilly" Jackie thought to himself, as he nervously reached out, touching his hand to the screen of the television. "Well…Shit…I guess I was just dreami-OH JESUS!" Jackie screamed as his hand phased through the screen suddenly, and he fell forward, feeling his hand yanked on by some invisible force. As the screen rippled around his hand Lilly seemed to notice it and yet out a shrill shriek. "Jackie, how in the world are you doing that?!" She shouted, surprising Jackie enough to lose his footing for a moment, sliding forward.

"I DON'T HAVE A CLUE! JUST HELP ME GET OUT OF THIS THING!" Jackie yelled, as his face slid through the front, effectively silencing him. Lilly snapped out of her state of wonder, and ran forward, grabbing Jackie's back and pulling him back to her. In the process of her rescue attempt, Lilly unintentionally placed her foot in front of Jackie's, tripping him up. Lilly let out one more shrill shriek, as Jackie flew forward, his body being dragged through the front of the Television, her arms still wrapped around his waist from trying to pull him back. Both of them were thrown through the front of the Television, and into something that could only be described with one horrible, terrible, awful, disgusting word. Psychedelic.

The world they were used to was replaced by a background of blues and greens and reds, swirling and mixing into one great color. Each color was fusing into one at the end of the tunnel, yet each holding its own shape, vibrancy, and individuality. Of the colors, he noticed 8 specific colors, plastered against this deep, black, canvas. He saw a vibrant orange, a bloodlike red, a light blue (which for some reason reminded him of fur), a pure, untainted line of white, a powerful green, a shimmering gray, a rainbow being born from each shimmer and glisten, a bright, burning tone of pink, and lastly, a metallic shade of silver, reminding him of a blade. He was oddly calm, at the sight of these colors flashing around him. Lilly's eyes were shut tightly, and her head was pressed to his back, trying to hide from whatever horrors she was afraid she may see, had her eyes dared to open. As they reached the end of their fall, Jackie prepared himself, bracing each piece of his body, ready for impact.

As they drew closer to the end, time seemed to slow, in fact, Jackie was pretty sure it did. The world of colors around him began to morph and change. Upon impact, the colors flashed to other colors that could only be called their opposites. To Jackie's surprise, instead of his own body splattering like a pancake on impact, the end of the tunnel shattered like glass, pieces flying in every which direction, only to fade into nothing. Jackie did not have time to turn his head and see what now surrounded him, as he was planted face first onto a hard floor, decorated with a large swirl of black and white, and a stack of old televisions placed in the center of the swirl. The black and white appeared to be sliding through the screen of the televisions, yet somehow not holding the appearance of something hard and solid. As Jackie hit the floor, his thoughts about the odd decoration were knocked from his head, as was his consciousness, by the blond girl clinging to his waist, bouncing her head off his own.

The silver man came to in a world he didn't understand and wasn't sure if he wanted to. On awakening he grumbled and rolled onto his back, letting out a deep sigh. He sat up slowly, trying to shake the cobwebs loose in the process. When he was back to a vertical base, his focus had been regained, and he realized two things, both of them very important. He was surrounded by a group of something that could only be called one thing. Monsters. The other he could get to once he was done with this.

The monsters slurped loudly, their long tongue making disgusting sizzling and popping noises. These…things…Well, their appearance was grotesque. They were giant floating balls, patterned almost perfectly to match the black and white floor underneath his feet. They had giant mouths, which covered about a third of their body, and a long, hideous tongue. The tongue alone was probably the size of Jackie, which was actually terrifying. Jackie was no small man. Jackie quickly shook off his disgust, and forced himself into a fighting stance, his head still throbbing. The beasts made their move immediately after.

There were about 5 in total, and the one he had awoken to be staring in the mouth, was the first to charge Jackie. It glided across the floor towards him, somehow expressing malicious intent without having any face to show it. As the monster swung its huge tongue wildly, Jackie sprung from the ground. He planted his foot on the fleshy membrane of the tongue, and kicked off, flying through the air like a torpedo, targeted on the monster behind him which had also advanced. He flew through the air, somehow managing to dodge its attack in the process, and grab its upper lip. Doing that did not manage to slow him down, though, as he had hoped. Still in his flight path, he twisted his body over the strange sphere, still hanging onto its upper lip. He was now beginning to get closer to the ground, and the sphere seemed to show no fear, nor pain. It continued frantically shaking back and forth, not to shake Jackie off, but to look for him. Jackie slowly reached his other arm around the monster, as his arm already implanted into the beasts upper lip slid along the fleshy area, grabbing the section that separated the lips. When Jackie's feet touched the floor, he quickly arched his back and legs, turning his body into a graceful bridge, slamming the top of the sphere into the ground. The sphere began to dissolve, and Jackie, having never broken his bridge, quickly reversed the arching of his back, to bring himself back to his feet.

Upon getting to his feet, he was quickly hit by a barrage of tongues which he had not been expecting. The beasts had circled around him again and were still hungry for whatever it was they ate, showing neither fear nor remorse for their companion. Jackie was now aching…Everywhere. That hurt him more than it should have. I mean, it's a fucking tongue. You'd be shocked as well, if something like that hurt this bad. Jackie quickly jumped away from the monsters, kicking one in the jaw in the process, dislodging said jaw from the creatures face, or whatever that area of it is called. That one disappeared as well, and in response, Jackie was hit by another barrage of the painful tongues. He fell to one knee for a moment breathing heavily. "3 more…" he thought to himself, as they advanced on him to make another attack. His body was close to giving out on him, and he knew it, but he still rose back to his feet. He grabbed the next tongue coming at him, and swung the sphere attached to it in a circular motion, before slamming it into another of its companions, killing them both. After this attack, Jackie was hit directly underneath the jaw by the tongue of the last creature.

The beast had surprised him, and as such, he was knocked to the floor. His vision went blurry, and was snapped back into focus by a giant drop of what he assumed to be drool falling onto his chest. The creature swooped down for the final attack, only to have it caught by Jackie. Jackie, now horribly weak, shoved the beast from his body, tossing it back to the air. Jackie followed suit, slowly rising back to his feet. He swung wildly with his foot, for a roundhouse kick. It connected, but there was another problem. His body was too injured to put enough force to destroy it, and it turned itself, licking his kneecap, dropping him to a knee once more. This time was different. Jackie knew he would not get back up. The sphere advanced, licking its lips, preparing itself for the great feast that kneeled before it. Jackie sighed, and closed his eyes as tight as he could; embracing death, but that death never came. There was a loud screech and Jackie opened his eyes to very surprising sight.

Something had jabbed through the back of the creature and was now sticking out of its mouth. It appeared to be…"Claws?...Why are there…what the hell?..." Jackie said quietly, observing the clawed hand, or, should I say, paw, that the creature was dissolving around. Jackie waited patiently, prepared to see his savior, only to be shocked even greater by the sight before him. Standing in front of him was a bear…Or…Well, a bear suit. Its fur was blue, with its face being a pale cream color. For some odd reason it appeared to be wearing a red set of footie pajamas. This thing looked like a store mascot. As he continued to gawk at the bearlike thing, it spoke, its voice fairly high pitched, and sounding rather fitting of the store mascot.

"Well. This is beary unexpected! A new friend? YAY! Or are you the one sending people in here. I sure hope you aren't. If you are, I'm not sure I could bear it. You look beary similar to sensei. Did he finally have his first cub?". 'Oh dear god, it makes puns. This is going to be a loooooong day…' Jackie thought, falling victim to the tiredness and pain that plagued his body, passing out on the spot


	6. Now, Drop It

Alright, hi guys. To anyone out there still reading this stuff, I apologize sincerely for being so slow on the uploading, but I think to make up for that, my pace in writing is going to quicken here, and hopefully the quality as well. This chapter is going to be the introduction of our first true shadow, and as such, instead of having whatever plays on Jackie's IPod as the songs of the chapter, the songs that are going to be suggested are the songs played through this persons shadow area. These songs are taken with the purpose of resembling the persons personality, and even extenuate whatever it is their shadow is trying to say.

Puppets 2 (The Rain) – Motionless In White

In Love and Lonely – HIM

Bulletproof Love – Pierce the Veil

Pressure – Rains

Dear Agony – Breaking Benjamin.

Enjoy, everybody.

* * *

Jackie came to, draped over the body of something very round, which seemed to be walking towards a stack of televisions. "wh…What the fuck…What happened? Where am I?" Jackie asked, rolling off the top of his furry carriage, falling on his knees, before hopping back to his feet. The boys evident caretaker turned towards our hero and spoke, its lips not moving. "Hello there, little senpai. Wait. That doesn't make any sense at all. What am I saying?! I haven't introduced myself yet! How unBEARably rude of me! My name's Teddy! What's yours?" the large blue and white bear…thing, asked. There was an awkward moment of silence as our hero stared on in shock, blinking and rubbing his eyes occasionally, as if expecting the patiently waiting blue bear to fade away before him.

"Excuse me sir! I asked you a question. It's not polite to not answer people! Wait….WHY ARE YOU HERE?! Are you the one whose been throwing people in here, because if you are, things are about to get very grizzly!" The bear let out a strange boyish roar, and sprang forward, its claws stretched towards Jackie's vulnerable chest. Jackie let out a shocked gasp and fell backward, as the bear slashed forward, and kicked upwards, catching Teddie in the midsection. Teddie flipped through the air, only to fall flat on his face. Jackie quickly scrambled to his feet shaking with fear. "JESUS CHRIST, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! I CAME HERE WITH LILLY BY ACCIDENT!...Wait…" Jackie began, before quickly turning and scanning the area for his blonde friend.

It did not take long to confirm she was not there, which sent Jackie into a fit of interrogative rage. He turned that towards the bear, still sprawled across the ground. Jackie charged the bear, punting it once in range. The bear flew through the air, as if weightless, before being stopped by crashing into railing, blocking off a giant abyss with what appeared to be a hazy yellow fog. Jackie quickly jumped to him, lifting him up over his head with both hands and staring him in his strange black eyes. "WHERE IS SHE YOU SON OF A BITCH?! I'LL DROP YOU IF YOU DON'T TELL ME, I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD!" Jackie screamed into the bears face, now leaning him over the edge. The bear realizing the direness of his situation, began to scream as well.

"I'LL TELL YOU JUST PLEASE PUT ME DOWN! OH GOD I'LL HELP YOU!" he screamed, the fear seeming to ruffle his fur. Jackie held him there for about a minute, weighing his options, before letting off a small snarl, and placing him on the ground. "Start talking. NOW."

"Well, one time I met a guy who loo-"

"WHERE THE FUCK IS LILLY?!"

"I'M SORRY! YOU TOLD ME TO START TALKING SO I DID! I'M SO AFRAID HERE I MIGHT GO INTO KODIAK ARREST!"

Jackie sighed softly, and buried his head in his hands, the anger slowly seeping out of him.

"I fell through a tv on accident…I came here with a girl. A tall, beautiful blonde girl…please…Help me find her if you can…"

"Hmm…Wait…She must be the girl from the midnight channel! I can find her! I can go save her!" Teddie responded, his ears perking up slightly, with his own realization.

"You know where she is?! Please! Take me with you…It's my fault she's here. I brought her to this world…I have to save her…"

"I…But…I…I can't bring someone who doesn't have a bearsona…they'd just get hurt"

Jackie sighed loudly and looked to his feet. He stared at them for a time before turning towards the railing and walking to it. He leaned over it quickly, trying to look for a bottom, and not seeing one made his decision for his next course of action. He turned back to Teddie and leaned against the railing before jumping and sitting on it. "What do you want on your conscience Teddie? Two dead teenagers? Or two possible injuries?...Bring me with you, or I will tip myself off of this. My life has no value if I can't save others. A human life holds no value at its basic status. It's just a life. It holds no more value than any animal's life" Jackie said, a melancholy tone taking hold of his voice.

"b…g…Grrr…You're as stubborn as Kanji-kun…Well, come on, we gotta hurry. Her shadow may already be out. I don't think I've got enough time to get sensei...it's sunny tomorrow, so we got until the sun rises."

Jackie nodded and stepped away from the railing, far too focused to question anything at this point. Teddie sprinted off down a path, leading through the yellow fog. They ran and ran, and eventually reached a rather large, very ornate door. "On the other side of that door there's an unbearable amount of shadows. Stay bearhind me" Teddie instructed quickly.

"Fat fucking chance, bear" Jackie responded, shoving Teddie out of the way, and slamming the door open. What was on the other side of that door defied all logic, and all common sense. The tall, white, walls, decked in marble and artwork, seemed to be in a perpetual state of burning, without losing their shape. They were just…On fire. The roof was entirely gone, appearing to have been burned away, and from the pale blue sky, coated with small clouds of gray fell perfect snowflakes, each snowflake not appearing as a typical snowflake would, but as one from a child's drawing. "So, this is what your friend's world is like…" Teddie thought aloud.

"What?...What in god's name are you rambling about now bear?" Jackie asked, staring at the mesmerized bear in confusion.

"This is your friend Lilly's world. This is what she wants the world to be like. Or…Well, kinda…OH NO! SHADOWS APPROACHING FAST! GET READY LITTLE CUB!" Teddie answered, before taking his goofy stance, as Jackie and himself were surrounded by an oddball couple of what appeared to be a strange mixture of pirates and noblemen. Half the body was bearded, scraggly, and filthy, while the other was kempt and well managed. The halves were separated by a small line of what appeared to be more fire. They let out a warbled cry, fused with no small amount of dissonance, and lunged at Jackie. Teddy moved to stop the blade of the noble pirate, but he was too late. Jackie's body was pierced by the strange, curved, saber, and his body stiffened.

Teddy charged forward, enraged, slashing through the faces of the noble pirates. They quickly dissolved into a black mist, yet the sword remained in the chest of Jackie. Jackie's face was stricken with shock and his attention was drawn to the sword. His eyes slowly shut and he began to fall backwards, only to be suddenly pulled back to his feet by an invisible force. His head snapped forward and his eyes shot open, to reveal they had changed to a beautiful golden shade, with flecks of blue scattered across the surface. His lips spread apart to reveal a near sinister grin, his two fangs reflecting the light of the fire. He turned towards the sky, stretched his arms from his sides, clenched his muscles, and released a deafening call. He called to the sky for his persona, and the heavens answered.

Two great wolves materialized at his sides, one a pure, radiant shade of white, its eyes a shade of deep blue, and the other a dark, sinister, smoky black, its eyes a pool of crimson. They howled alongside their new master, as the walls around them shook. Teddie cowered in a corner at this point waiting for the spectacle to end. Soon, the great howls died down, and the walls and pillars ceased their shaking. Jackie slowly turned back towards the bear. He snapped in his direction and one of his hounds sprang forward to pick up the bear and bring it to his side. The black wolf dropped him roughly, and he landed on his face. It trotted back to the side of its pale companion, and received a small bite to its neck as punishment for its carelessness. Jackie picked teddy up, dusted him off, and pulled the saber out of his wound.

His wound closed instantaneously, and he turned towards Teddie, pressing the saber against the zipper line he assumed was Teddies neck. "No questions. No explanations. We're saving Lilly right the fuck now. Lead on" he growled into Teddies face. Teddie nodded firmly, and began to run ahead, followed closely by our silvered hero, and his new companions.

"So, you said this is the world Lilly created? What does that mean, Teddie?" Jackie asked, now riding on top of the black wolf, at Teddies side, saber still in hand. "This is your friends fantasy. This is what she wants, that she doesn't want people to know she wants" Teddie said quickly, struggling to keep up with the great wolf. "What she wants?...What the fuck does that-HOLY SHIT GIANT DOOR!".

Jackie sprung from the wolf, just as it phased through the great door ahead of them. The door was large, white, and incredibly ornate. It was also burning all along the edges, much like the rest of the huge, mansion like structure they were now inside. Jackie looked on in silence for a couple of seconds, as Teddie proceeded to poke at the door. Jackie let out a sharp whistle, and the wolves that had gone through seconds ago, sprinted through the door to their master's side. "Teddie. Shes through there, right?" Jackie asked, quietly. Teddie nodded, noting the look of pure hatred spread across Jackie's face. Jackie ran forward, the wolves at his side, and lowered his shoulder, crashing into the door. The huge white door exploded on impact, into millions of pieces of shrapnel, all of which seeming to dissolve into space. He began frantically scanning the room for any sign of Lilly, until his eyes fell upon a shocking sight.

Standing upon an enormous mound of snow, was Lilly, but strangely enough, at the bottom of the mound was another Lilly. The Lilly at the top of the mound was dressed in what appeared to be the dress of a princess, although it shimmered in the light of the flames surrounding the room, as if it were made of some sort of unmelting ice. Her eyes were a pale shade of gold, and her body was surrounded with a dark blue aura, radiating nothing but bad intentions. The strangely dressed Lilly spoke up, looking down at Jackie. "Look, Lilly! The entertainment has arrived!" it shouted, giddily. The Lilly at the bottom of the mound, spun around, and screamed to Jackie and his bear companion "RUN! GET OUT OF HE-!" before her mouth was covered with an icy hand. The strange rendition of Lilly had come down from her perch, without Jackie noticing, and had covered Lilly's mouth.

"Hush, child. Don't you want this boy toy of yours to see the real you?" the other Lilly said, as Lilly shivered frantically, and the tears rolled down her cheek. Jackie sprinted towards them, having seen enough, only to have a wall of flame erupt before him, when he was at near finger tips reach from the two. The other Lilly let out a harsh laugh, and walked slowly over the snow, pulling Lilly with her, with ease. "Not just yet, you little savage" the other Lilly began, smirking in Jackie's direction.

"I'm going to show you exactly who your 'princess', is. We might be able to have a bit of fun after that" she taunted, tossing Lilly to the floor. Jackie growled and tried to sprint towards her again only to be stopped by yet another wall of fire, which stung less than the haunting laughter that followed immediately after.

"My my, Lilly. It seems we've caught another. So many suitors, yet we still can't draw the one we desire, no? Such a sad existence, yet, what can we do about it? We're worthless. Am I right, Lilly?" the ghostly figure continued. Jackie and Teddie looked on in stunned silence, as Lilly rose to her feet. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she charged up that mound of snow, to her tormentor. She swung her arm wildly upon reaching her. The other lilly caught her arm, and twisted it behind her back, stretching it out. Lilly fell to her knees, as her counterpart tore the sleeve from her arm and began to scream to Jackie hysterically. "LOOK AT US! WE'RE DAMAGED! WE'RE BROKEN! TAINTED GOODS JACKIE! WHAT?! YOU CAN'T SEE IT?! HERE! GET A CLOSER LOOK AT US! THE REAL US!" she shouted, and pointed at her arm. A sheet of ice materialized over it and began to magnify her arm. Scattered across her pale arm was an image Jackie knew too well. There were burns, everywhere. Self-inflicted, no doubt. Jackie continued to look on in determined silence. By now he had figured out there was nothing he could say or do at this time.

"This is her...This is us...This is all we are! A beautiful creature, desecrated by our own desires! WE'RE NOTHING, JACKIE! NOTHING AT ALL!...No...We are nothing more than a little girl who has become so afraid of everything, we hurt ourselves so nothing else can...We've been handed riches, men, anything a girl could want, yet all we want is to be alone! OUR PAIN IS OUR PROTECTION! PROTECTION FROM A WORLD LIKE YOURS! A WORLD THAT WILL HURT US AND THROW US AWAY!...please...just leave us alone..."

"Who...Who are you?...W...Why are you doing this to me?..." Lilly asked, fear evident in her voice.

"M...Me?...Who...Who am I?...I...I'm you, Lilly..." the dark being said, as she released Lilly, and cradled her face in her own hand, staring into her eyes.

"W...What?...What are you talking about?..."

"Lilly...I...I'm you! You're me! Can't you recognize me?!" The creature's voice was beginning to become frantic.

"N...No, you're not...You're...YOU'RE NOT ME!" Lilly shouted angrily, hatred staining her typically melodic voice. The room began to shake. The flames grew larger, and hotter. The world seemed to be coming to its end, and it was all centered on this one strange being. The other Lilly's aura had grown heavier, and the smoke she produced was far denser than before. She was shaking with rage, and Jackie had seen enough. He charged ahead, seeing that the other Lilly had lowered her head. He sprung forward wildly, the saber of the pirate still in hand. He came within milliseconds from striking her down, only to be flung through the air, as if grabbed by a giant invisible hand, and thrown. He crashed through one of the giant marble pillars and it toppled. He lay on the ground speechless, momentarily, before Teddie came to his side and pulled him up, whispering something that sounded like "get ready", into his ear.

Jackie raised an eyebrow in confusion, before turning his attention back to the mound of snow. On the top, Lilly now lay unconscious, and the other was facing the two boys. "You…you've ruined everything…You ruined our dream…People like you are the worst…People who can't mind their own business. I won't let you hurt us anymore. I WON'T LET ANYONE HURT US ANYMORE!" it screamed, tears of gold flowing over its cheeks. The smoke surrounding it began to spread all over the room, and soon, Jackie and Teddie were unable to see anything.

"Teddie?...What's going on?"

"Oh nooo….This one is going to be huuuuge."

"What the hell are you talking about Ted-HOLY SHIT WHAT IS THAT?!"

The room was gone, except for the mound of snow which Lilly had been laying on top of, unconscious. The walls no longer existed, but they were replace by a giant circle of fire, surrounding the snowy landscape. Standing in the center of the giant field of fire was probably the strangest thing Jackie had ever seen. What stood before him was a giant, bipedal, ice fortress. It was literally a giant castle, with arms and legs, made out of ice. It's giant arms were covered with giant gashes, the edges burning. Sticking out of them were what appeared to be lighter heads. Its middle, which seemed like its weakness, was a giant, wooden, drawbridge.

"I am a shadow. The true self" a deep, booming voice, which sounded as if it had been fused with Lilly's filled the soon to be battle field.

The giant creature swung its arms forward, and fire shot from each gash, engulfing our two heroes. The beast roared wildly, as the smoke and flames faded away to reveal a giant metal circular, slightly humanoid, thing, wearing a cape and riding a tomahawk missile, floating in front of its targets, shielding them from the blast. From behind that strange thing, sprung Jackie, followed closely by the two great wolves. The great fortress charged as well, and the battle was ready to begin.

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Next time, we'll cover the battle and the aftermath. My apologies for taking so long. I've been horribly busy as of late. Expect more regular updates. Remember, this is my first uploaded story. It's not going to be a masterpiece or anything.


	7. Finish the Set

It's time to end this first shadow battle. Music is huuuuge this chapter, so please, if possible, try and listen to it. The chapter is a bit short, but it does what it's supposed to do. I'm still a bit shaky on dialogue and how to present it, so any advice is appreciated.

Battle theme: My curse – Killswitch Engage

Aftermath: God Called In Sick today – AFI

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Jackie pushed off the ground with all his might, reaching obscene heights. He was at least twenty feet in the air, and flying straight into the giant wooden draw bridge, the wolves at his side. He thrust the saber forward, and it collided with the drawbridge, doing minimal damage. The wolves slammed into the fortress itself, doing no damage at all, and bounced off. The wolves and Jackie began to fall, only to be snatched up by the icy hand of the fortress, and lifted back into the air. The creature lifted its other giant arm, and turned the gashes towards the hand containing the silvered boy. Jackie tensed up, and tried to move his hands, but was unable to. The wolves were in the hand as well. Jackie had no way out as the lighters clicked in unison, spewing several huge flames, forming into one massive fire, shooting directly into our silvered hero and his companions.

As the fire and smoke diminished, a circular, metallic, slightly humanoid…thing…riding a tomahawk missile, shot out of the billowing cloud, slamming into the drawbridge, and knocking the fortress back. As the fortress stumbled, its hand opened, releasing Jackie and the wolves. The strange circle had taken most of the fire square to the chest, and was heavily injured from it, now lying on the ground, not moving. Teddie appeared to be doing the same a ways back, which in turn made Jackie realize that this thing had a connection to Teddie. The wolves at Jackie's side looked at Jackie expectantly. The white wolf looked back to Teddie and whimpered, as Jackie heard what he assumed to be the wolves voice in his head.

"I can heal him, if that is what you command, master…Please, command it" a soft spoken, feminine voice in his head said to him. Jackie nodded , and snapped in the direction of Teddie. The wolf yipped happily, and bounded to Teddies side. The moon on its chest began to shine, a soft golden colored beam of light, shooting from it, onto Teddie. Teddie began to stir, and the circular thing in front of Jackie stirred as well. Jackie then turned his head towards the black wolf, which was growling and snarling viciously.

"Let me at that big son of a bitch! Come on boss man, let's have some fun!" An aggressive, deep, masculine voice, boomed throughout his head. Jackie grinned, his fangs glinting slightly, and pointed towards the great fortress before him. The fortress lifted its arms once more, crossing them in front of its giant chest, and aiming the gashes at Jackie.

"LET'S TEAR THIS MOTHERFUCKER APART!" Jackie screamed, as he charged towards the fortress, the wolf at his side. He used the circular creature lying on the ground, as a springboard, jumping off it and propelling himself through the air. The giant lighter heads clicked, and Jackie threw his hand forward. The wolf glided through the air to the front of Jackie, as the fire began to shoot from the gashes. The great black wolf opened its mouth, and out from it began to shoot a great flame as well, the two monstrous flares doing battle in the sky, trying to force through each other. Jackie and the wolves forward momentum did not stop, and they began to soar through the fire, in a small little safe zone, created by the wolf.

`"BETTER GET THAT FUCKING SABER READY KID!" the beast screamed, inside Jackie's head. Jackie did not understand.

"Wha?...What do you mean ready?" Jackie thought.

"LIFT THAT SHIT IN THE AIR, MOTHERFUCKER!"

"I see. They can hear my really prominent thoughts. Going to have to watch that"

"NOWS NOT THE FUCKING TIME, KID! FUCKING HOLD YOUR SWORD UP!"

Jackie proceeded to do just that. A small, bright red glow began to shoot from the sun symbol emblazoned on the wolfs chest. It curved back around his body, and up onto the hilt of the saber, held in the air by Jackie. The light curled around the blade, following a swirling pattern up to the tip. The glow seemed to infuse with the blade, and the swirl began to appear as if it was burning. Just as the light finished its climb up the sword, the two shot out of the fire, and were on course to crash straight into the drawbridge. Jackie began to slash diagonally and the blade was followed by a trail of deep red fire. He slashed completely across the drawbridge as he planted his foot on it. He quickly swung the other direction, making a large x across the drawbridge, each line burning with that same deep red flame. Jackie began to slide down, and fell from the drawbridge. He braced his body expecting to hit the hard ground at any second, before hitting something much softer.

He opened his eyes upon impact, and looked down to see that he was sitting on the back of the tomahawk missile Teddies strange creature was flying. He laughed wildly, having just escaped nearly certain death, as the missile turned around, and began to fly back to its master's side. It touched down gently, as the giant fortress finally blew away the other giant fire.

"Teddie, is that your bearsona, or whatever it is you've been talking about? This things awesome!" Jackie shouted to the bear; now back on its feet, the white wolf at his side. The wolf looked excitedly, but noticed that there was only one returning and began to whimper.

"You bet your fangs on it, little cub!" Teddie shouted cheerfully. "I'm ready to go bearserk! Let's go finish this pup-"

"Where is Skoll? Why did he not come back with you?" the voice in his head interrupted in a panicked tone. Jackie grinned, flashing his shining fangs once more, and turned back to the giant fortress, which was now stomping all over the ground clumsily for some reason. Jackie let a sharp whistle escape his lips, and the giant fortress tumbled onto its back. The black wolf came bounding to the side of the white wolf seconds later, panting happily. He received a small nip on the neck from his partner, as punishment for his reckless behavior. Jackie chuckled and looked back to the fortress, struggling, fruitlessly, to lift itself back into the air. Jackie laughed and shouted back to Teddie "Hey, Teddie! I got a plan! Let me borrow your bearsona?"

"Whatever you say little cub! Let's do this!" Teddie growled, sending his bearsona to Jackie's side.

After a few minutes spent, explaining his plan of attack to the rest of the crew, as the fortress flopped around on the ground, trying to force itself back to its feet, Jackie was ready, and got everyone into their position.

"Fire it up, Ted! Skoll! Hati! You guys ready to end this shit? Let's get Lilly out of here!" Jackie shouted, as he sat on the front of the tomahawk missile, his legs wrapped around it to hold him in place. The wolves barked in agreement, and Teddie did some kind of strange roar.

"Alright! Skoll, light it up, then you two get ready to fly! You can do that right?"

"You bet your ass we can!" The voice of Skoll boomed inside his head. Jackie flashed his grin and shouted once more, as Skoll relit the stripe on his blade.

"Time for lift off Ted! Send me up!"

"You sure about this?..."

"DO IT BEFORE I CHANGE MY MIND!" Jackie screamed; spit shooting out of his mouth from anger and adrenaline.

"OHGODPLEASEDONTHURTME!" Teddie shouted as he lifted his persona to the sky, the wolves following closely behind. Jackie laughed wildly, now excited beyond human comprehension, and pulled his saber back, gripping the hilt with both hands, the tip of the blade aimed forward. The tomahawk rider, Jackie, and the wolves reached the apex of their flight. They all turned down, to face the fortress struggling below, and flew downward. They flew at blinding speeds, dropping from thousands of feet in the sky, Jackie's blade aimed straight for the chest of the fortress. The drawbridge. The fortress lifted its arms to block it, and began to shoot its great blaze from the gashes. Jackie nodded, sternly, and the wolves flew forward, taking point, and began to fly in a swirling pattern. Their chests shone brightly, and a thick veil of icy energy shot from Hati's chest, as a smoky blast of fire began to shoot from Skoll. The great swirling energies shot straight through the fire, protecting Jackie and Teddies bearsona.

At the end of the plume of fire the two wolves split off and landed on the ground, turning to watch the ensuing carnage. Jackie sprung from the missile, thrusting his sword towards the giant bull's-eye he had plastered across the drawbridge, in the form of a fiery x. His sword connected directly with the center of the x, blowing straight through the huge wooden door. His sword stuck into the icy inside wall of the fortress, and Jackie used that to prevent his momentum from pounding his face into the ground (Suspend your disbelief, physics don't mean much in this world) before springing forward in a flipping motion, yanking the sword from the ice. The sword created a giant fiery arc, slicing the top of the fortress open. He left his sword pierced through the top layer of ice, and looked for where the other Lilly may be. He saw a large trap door, down the hallway, and began to spring towards it, his saber cutting along what was now the roof of the fortress, leaving a flaming trail, visible on the outside.

Jackie reached the door at the end of the icy tunnels, and swung his sword forward, tearing through the roof, and slicing cleanly through the door. Jackie kicked the pieces out of his way angrily, and stormed into the room. What he found on the other side was not what he expected. On the other side of the room were two Lillys although one was not the Lilly he had seen only minutes earlier. The other Lilly's beautiful dress had been replaced with burnt up rags, and she wept on the floor. The true Lilly watched silently, the sadness evident on her face.

"I don't like me…I don't like anything about me. People scare me, and I don't get why…Is there anything out there that can help me?...Anything?..." the other Lilly wailed through her tears. Jackie turned away momentarily, wanting to no longer have to watch this. He looked up to the sky, which he could now see through the throat of the fortress that he had torn open. He sighed softly, and watched the snowflakes lazily drifting down, quietly listening to her cry, for a long time. Once he was done, he turned back to the girl crying on the floor. He kneeled in front of her, and softly pressed his fingers to the underside of her chin. He lifted her head so that her face was level with his own. He smiled sadly, and brushed the hair out of her face with one hand, as he reached into his back pocket with the other. Out of that he pulled out a black bandanna. He wiped it underneath her eyes, drying her tears, as she looked into his eyes in a state of shock. Once he was done, he slipped the bandanna back in his pocket, and took her arm. He pulled her close to him, and draped it over his shoulders, as he stood, holding her weight up, as he turned towards the real Lilly, who was now beginning to cry as well.

"Lilly…I get it…That feeling of never being wanted…I've been there a million times, but I found something. I found the way out, and you can bet your ass I won't let anyone feel that way again, if I can help it…Lilly…Prove those little whispers in your head wrong…That's the only way to beat it…Be you. People want to be around you. Don't hide from that. Don't hide from them…Let people accept you...There is one more thing to do before you can let other people accept you…I think you know what that is…"

Lilly stepped forward, now beginning to sob. She walked to Jackie, and smiled at him through the tears, and waved him off softly. He smiled back, and made sure the other Lilly had her balance, before he took her arm off his shoulder and stepped away. The other Lilly turned towards him and tried to walk after him, desperation in her eyes, as if trying to say 'Please don't leave me all alone, again', but she was stopped by a gentle hand being placed on her shoulder. The other Lilly turned to face her creator, and her face grew angry. As Jackie stepped away, to watch in quiet silence, his back against the wall, the shadow Lilly slapped her counterpart across the cheek. The tears began to roll once more began to roll down her face, and she began to shout.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?! WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT?! IT'S PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO PUT THIS FEAR IN MY HEART! PEOPLE WHO SHUN EACHOTHER BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND OR BECAUSE THEY'RE AFR-"…The words stopped, as she was pulled into an embrace by Lilly. Lilly's face may have been stained by tears before, and there may have been a fresh slap mark across her face, but that did not change the fact that these were not tears of sadness anymore. The other Lilly's anger slowly dropped from her face, and as they did, so did whatever was restricting her moments ago. She slowly lifted her arms, and began to return the embrace. She buried her face in Lilly's shoulder and sobbed freely. Softly lit gold specs began to float from her body, and Lilly knew there was not much time left. She began to speak, as she had begun to understand.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…For all these years, all I've done was hide those feelings of fear…Those feelings of shame and loneliness…The truth is, I made those feelings…I'm the one who pushed the world away…It wasn't the other way around…I'm just so sorry it took me this long to accept that…But…I'm going to make you a promise…I will change that…It's time to be me…I can't be afraid forever…I won't be alone forever…You really are me"

As those final words escaped her lips, the shadow faded away into nothing, and Lilly fell forward. Jackie stuck his arm under her and caught her, as she fell, and pulled her back to her feet. "Everybody's got something to face Lilly…You're going to get through it…"

Lilly smiled as she looked into his eyes and struggled to get her last words out before she fell unconscious. "Th…thank you, Jackie…For being…here."

Jackie smiled and nodded softly, as her eyes closed. He picked her up by her waist, and gently threw her over his shoulder. They left that horrible place that way, as he carried her unconscious form over the ice. 'Through hellfire and brimstone' he thought to himself, as he trudged out.

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That ends our first shadow encounter. This is kind of a big deal for me, so thank you for sticking with this story. Sorry about the shorter chapter everyone. Next chapter we get reacquainted with a few old heroes.


	8. Disk 2, Track 1

Hello, yet again. First things first, a quick thank you to Vincent The Vizard. You've been posting a review for every chapter I upload. That means a lot to me, you know. Just to know that even one person is reading this. I put a lot of effort into this, and I'm glad to just have this out there somewhere, although, having people reading and interested is nice. This chapter is a pivotal part of our story. This is the birth of the new investigation team, and the introduction to the teams mentor.

Songs Of The Chapter:  
The Running Free - Coheed And Cambria  
Iron Maiden - The Trooper  
Touch Of Red - In Flames  
I Want Out - Helloween  
Misfits - Attitude

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"So…Let me be the expository character here for a second…So, there are people in the world who can go through televisions, and through that television there's another world. On that side of the world, there are these monstrous things, that represent humanities wants and desires, and they will try to kill any intruders, when our world is foggy…There is someone out there who is putting people into that other world in an attempt to kill them, as it leaves no trace, other than the body being thrown back out. Two people have been killed here, and the one who is to be taken next has to be shown, or heard on TV at some time not long before. When someone is put through the TV, the desires they deny manifest themselves as a monster, and the environment around them, in a symbolic manner. There is a channel called the midnight channel, which only comes on when it rains all day and night, and the channel shows the next person to be kidnapped and murdered. In the past, this happened in a small town in Japan called Inaba…That you happened to live in, and where you, your friends, and this bear saved the world from being engulfed by the other world, filled with 'shadows' using your souls manifested in these things called 'Persona'…Nope. I'm bailing. This is fucking ridiculous".

Jackie and Teddie had come back to the real world, and after dropping Lilly off at home, and making sure she was okay, had come to the house they were now sitting inside. Teddie had decided to leave his bear suit at Lilly's house, as he was a normal, albeit gorgeous human being underneath it, and they were attempting to avoid drawing any sort of attention to themselves. The house they came to was very normal looking. Above average size, but other than that, it was fairly normal. It was what was on the inside that bothered him. Waiting on the inside was the last person he expected to be getting an explanation from. On the inside was his Japanese teacher, Yu Narukami, or "Senpai" as his students called him. After the basic explanation, presented, in his teacher's voice, never fluctuating, or faltering, Jackie decided he had heard enough.

As Jackie stood up to leave, Teddie jumped up to stop him, before being pulled back into his seat by Yu. "After everything you went through, you're not willing to believe? Then I suppose there's no point in recruiting you either way" Yu said, rather casually, as Jackie fumbled with the door, obviously still quite flustered.

Yu's words stopped Jackie, and he stood, unmoving, as if deep in thought, for a minute, before turning back to the silver haired teacher, who had the smallest smile Jackie had ever seen. As Jackie stepped back into the room, he spoke. "Damn me and my need to prove people wrong…I'll bite. Why did you bring me here?" He grumbled, as he took his seat on the couch across from his teacher.

"I have a question for you. How did you and Lilly get into the TV?"

"I stuck my arm through it, and something pulled me. She tried to pull me back, but I tripped and she was dragged in with me…Why?"

"I see…And you've never been in the TV world before?"

"No I haven't. You think I'd be here if I had been? And don't duck my fucking questions. I'm already in a baaaad mood. Don't make it worse. Why would that matter?"

"That would mean you're a natural persona user, much like myself, which, in turn means that you are the destined leader of the new investigation team."

Jackie laughed at this. "Investigation team?You've got to be fucking with me. That sounds like some stupid Saturday morning cartoon or some shit. Why the fuck can't you do it, Mr. Savior of the whole god damn world?"

Yu sighed and looked down, obviously bothered by the question. "My team and I can no longer enter that world, other than Teddie. I assume, due to being from there in the first place. As to why I cannot…I wish I had an answer as to why, because if I did, you wouldn't have to be here, and I wouldn't have to put more people at risk".

The room went silent after this. Jackie felt the shame and depression, as it radiated off the man in front of him, despite his face showing no expression at all. Teddie watched on in quiet sadness. The thick silence was broken by a sigh and the sound of Jackie standing up. He looked to the door, grumbling profanities, knowing he could leave at any time, but his curiosity would not let him. After one loud curse was shouted, and Jackie had turned back to Yu, the deal was struck.

"If I don't do this, more people will die, right?"

"More than likely, yes."

"Well, looks like I don't have much of a fucking choice, do I?"

"There's always a choice. There just might be an obvious right answer"

Jackie flashed a toothy grin and took the hand Yu had held out to him. The handshake sealed the deal, and Teddy, being the lovable bear he was, began to bounce out the room like an excited child. Yu, having years of practice ignored him, but Jackie shoved him away, when he got too close. The bears head collided with the nearest wall, and he was unconscious. Yu stifled a chuckle, as he sat back down. "There are still a few things we need to discuss. We need to think about getting you a weapon, which I'm assuming won't be a problem, finding a meeting place for you and your team, and finding you a team…That will probably be the hard part."

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After about 2 hours of discussing the intricacies of the shadow world/personas/etc/ and arguing, Jackie conceded that it would be up to Lilly whether or not she would join the investigation team, as Yu had called it. He owed it to her to at least give her the option after everything she went through. He left Yu's house with his mind going a mile a minute. He sighed, deciding he was probably not going to be getting any sleep that night (he was wroooooong), and decided to go for a walk, before going home. He strolled through the streets, watching the stars, as they danced above his head. It was about 6 when he had gotten to Yu's house. He checked his phone, and noticed that it was now 11. Although, that wasn't the thing he noticed first when he looked at his phone. On his phone, he had a message, from a number he didn't recognize. He opened it, and read it. "Jackie? I hope I have the correct number. If it is you, please, stop by my house. I need to talk to you. My resting can wait. ~Lilly"

Jackie sighed, bothered by the girl's stubbornness, and began to walk in the direction of her house. It didn't take long, before he reached her front door. He knocked, and on the other side of the door, he heard a loud thud. There was a momentary quiet, before he heard the footsteps coming to the door. The door opened and there was Lilly, clutching her head in her free hand. "I'm sorry about the wait…I had fallen asleep again..."

Jackie smiled softly, noticing the soft blush which had stained her cheeks as she invited him inside. She was still dressed the same as when he had carried her out of that place. She took a seat on the white couch, in the center of the room, and motioned for him to do the same. Jackie tentatively obliged, sitting as far away from her as he could. She looked at him and giggled softly before sighing, and seeming to fade back into her melancholy.

"Even now, after seeing the worst of me, you still try so hard to be a gentleman…"

"Nah…I'm just trying to be polite. Lilly. Everyone has parts they don't like. Who am I to judge you for yours."

"You… are the man who saved my life…Jackie…I…I was going to die in there…I wouldn't have accepted that piece of me, if you weren't there. You know that. I know that…I...I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry...I…I'm sorry you had to save me…"

As she said that last sentence, her eyes began to water again. Jackie had seen enough of this girl crying to last him a life time. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out the black bandanna. He gave it to her, and she quickly dried her eyes. She offered it back to him, but he waved her off, telling her to keep it. She smiled softly as she set it aside. Jackie leaned back and looked up at the roof, attempting to avoid eye contact, not wanting to ask the question, because he already knew what her answer would be. He had no choice. It was her choice.

"Lilly…If there was a way you can help stop other people from dying in their own version of that horrible place, would you want to he-"

Jackie was caught off guard, as Lilly interrupted him by leaning forward, and wrapping her arms around his neck, in a soft embrace...As she let go, she held his shoulders, and looked into his eyes, the tears streaming down her face once more. "If there is any way I can help...Any way at all, please, let me...No one else needs to die alone…That's where the murders happened wasn't it?...I can't imagine it…All the suffering and loneliness I felt…That must be their last memories of life…I won't let anyone else die that way."

Jackie, still in a state of stunned silence from the hug, quickly shook it off, as he saw Lilly's fiery determination, burning in her eyes. He sighed, not wanting her to have to go back there, and held his hand out for her to shake. She took it, and smiled the brightest smile Jackie had ever seen. "Welcome to the investigation team."

Jackie gave her the quick version of Yu's explanation, and saw himself out, after bidding her goodnight. It was now 12:30, and Jackie decided it was time to head home. By the time he got home he was drenched, and tired. He walked in as John appeared to be leaving. John obviously wanted to stop him, but decided against it for some reason. Jackie thanked god for that, and went up the stairs as quietly as he could to avoid waking Emily. Upon entering his room, he proceeded to pass out, near immediately, only making it halfway onto the bed.

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The next morning, Jackie awoke with an awful crick in his back, having slept bent at a strange angle. He yawned, and rolled the top of his body off the bed, onto the floor. He pushed his head against the ground, and bridged, trying to knock the kink in his back loose. He succeeded, and quickly jumped to his feet, before taking a look at his clock. 11:30, it read. "Oh fuck! I'm late!" he shouted, and ran out the door. He grabbed his bag on the way out, waved goodbye to Emily, and ran off.

It wasn't until he got to the closed school gate that he realized that it was Saturday, and the school was closed. It shouldn't have taken that long, considering Emily was home, but, our hero is not the brightest. Normally, he would have found humor in this, but he was not in a good mood today. In fact, he was the opposite. He was stressed, and stress makes him angry. He was angry, and anger for him is expressed through aggression. He was spoiling for a fight, as the kids used to say. He decided to take that anger into town to try and find something to do. He was going to go look for Lucien or some of his goons, and it turns out, a bit of luck went his way.

"Ey yo fagit!"

Jackie grinned wildly, and turned in the direction of the noise. The wolf saw his prey, about 25 yards back, and charged. The two goons from the other day had been stalking him, and they were now on an empty street, where business could be taken care of. Once in range, Jackie pounced for the taller African American. He tackled him to the ground, and rolled away, just as the Samoan stomped, and much like the earlier fight, hit his friend in the chest. Jackie hopped to his feet and backpedaled about 5 yards or so, so the two could catch their center. Once the dark skinned man was back to his feet, Jackie stuck his arms behind his back, mocking the two goons.

"Come on, boys! Step it up! No hands this time!"

They did not take kindly to this. They rushed Jackie, each coming from the side, in an attempt to flank him. Jackie dropped to his back as the two swung, and their fists connected with their partners face. They both stumbled back, and Jackie kipped up. The Samoan was the first to regain his balance, and swung wildly. Jackie ducked underneath his fist, and the Samoan narrowly missed his dazed friend. The Samoan had to change the trajectory of his punch mid swing, and as such, took his focus off of his enemy, who was now behind him. Jackie kicked the man in the back of his knee, which brought him down to one knee. Jackie then proceeded to kick him in the back of the head, knocking him unconscious instantly.

"One down, one lef-OH JESUS CHRIST!"

As Jackie stepped over the body, admiring his handiwork, he was reminded that he did indeed have one left, by the man's hand grabbing the back of his head and pulling him forward. Jackie snapped into alert mode and ducked, weaving underneath the punch thrown by the man's other arm, still not moving his hands. The man had thrown too much weight into his punch and was off balance, his body leaning over Jackie's back. Jackie forced his back straight, which forced the man to the other side of Jackie. He stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the unnatural shifting of his weight. When his focus was regained, he was immediately knocked unconscious. Jackie had used his friend's body as a springboard, and had nailed the man under the chin with a flying knee.

Jackie sighed, unsatisfied with the fight the two had put up. As he walked down the street to look for something to do, a voice behind him stopped him. "Yo."

Jackie chuckled to himself and turned around. "Afternoon, Lucy. Looking to go a couple rounds?"

Lucien laughed softly, and threw up his hands, making a small cross with his index fingers, as he approached the silver haired war hound, stepping over his goons. He kicked one of them in the back, as he walked up to face Jackie. "Fucking morons…" he grumbled.

"You don't want to fight, so why are you here?"

"I didn't say I didn't want to fight. I don't want to fight here. Come with me…And dammit, tone down the hostility". Lucien began to walk back towards the downtown area, hands in his pocket, and Jackie followed, uneasy as can be.

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"You've got to be kidding me. They've got a boxing gym in this town?" Jackie asked, looking through the doors, and noticing the men hitting punching bags and lifting weights.

"Not a boxing gym, my friend. Look up" Lucien said, a hint of cockiness to his voice, pointing to a lit up sign above them

The two had walked to a slightly rundown looking building, in a very rundown looking area. The simple black and white sign read, 'Renton MMA Club'. Lucien nodded to his bewildered frenemy, and led him inside, a small half smile gracing his face with its presence. The gym was just what you would expect. Small, fairly bare bones and featuring a fairly good sized ring, right in the center. Upon entering, a very very short, like, Danny Devito short, muscular, bald headed man approached the two, a large smile on his face.

"LUCYYY! My boy, I haven't seen you here in weeks! It's good to see you, kid! Who's the princess? "The man asked in a heavy Boston accent.

Jackie growled and stepped forward, but Lucien held him back.

"Easy on him, Jonesy. Guys my new sparring partner. His names Jackie...And don't call me Lucy. Do me a favor, go grab us some gloves. The ring ready? No blood to slip on or nothing?"

"Ahh shut it kid. I take good care of this place, and you know it. I'll go get some for ya. Don't start without them, alright? I don't wanna have to clean that shit." The short man then scrambled off to go get the gloves. Jackie looked at Lucien an eyebrow raised, searching for any hint of an emotion or agenda. Lucien slid into the ring underneath the ropes, and began shaking some of the rust off his arms and legs. "I want some answers. I beat you, we talk. Nothing now. Hurry up and stretch out".

Jackie laughed at the irony of his situation, and got in the ring the proper way, and began taking his advice.

"How long have they been going at it now?" a man asked, coming away from his bag to join the onlookers watching the two beat each other senseless in the ring. The small bald man, Jonesy, was the first to speak up.

"Been about 10 minutes now. No breaks, no stoppages, no nothin'. Looks like the kids finally got somebody who can keep up with him. I don't think I've ever seen any of you schmucks even touch that pretty face of Lucy's. Need to step up. Stop fuckin' around! Go get back to work."

The crowd began to disperse; feeling dejected and went to their routines, not really focusing, as they kept looking back to the ring.

In the ring, Jackie and Lucien squared back up with each other, each man tired and in horrible pain. Lucien's right eye started to swell up after a nasty left hook, and Jackie had a cut on his left cheek, right under his eye. That was opened up by a head kick. Lucien sprang forward, grabbing Jackie's legs, looking to get a double leg takedown. Jackie held himself up and pushed against, stopping Lucien's momentum, and dropped to his knees, Taking Lucien down with him. Jackie quickly scooted back and went for a guillotine choke, but Lucien powered out, with the hand he slipped between Jackie's grasp. When the hold was broken Lucien kicked off the ground, shoving his shoulder into Jackie's chest, and knocking him onto his back.

Jackie quickly wrapped his arms around the back of Lucien's head, so he could not get proper positioning, and Lucien began dropping right hammer fists like it was no one's business. One caught Jackie square in the eye, enough for him to lose focus for a minute. Lucien took the advantage, quickly slipping into side control and throwing another hammer fist, and then onto a mount, but his head was still held down. Lucien began throwing hooks, attempting to catch Jackie on the side of the head. He succeeded, as his right hand smashed into Jackie's temple, stunning him. Jackie's grip was loosened significantly, when the first shot connected, and when the left connected, his arms went limp. Lucien pushed up, so that he was mounted firmly on his stomach, and began raining down haymakers on the already near unconscious Jackie. His fury and adrenaline would not allow him to relent. If Jonesy had not jumped in, Jackie would have been killed, most likely.

Jonesy slid through the ropes the second Jackie's arms went limp, charging Lucien and tackling him, as he continued to swing at the defenseless man. Lucien jumped to his feet, and began to walk over to Jackie's unconscious body, which was being looked at by Jonesy, a hateful gleam to his eyes. He grabbed Jonesy by the hood of his coat and threw him back, bouncing off the ropes. As he leaned over Jackie's body, planning to continue his onslaught, he was hit by what felt like a 190 pound bowling ball. Jonesy had charged him and tackled him from the side. On the ground, Jonesy slapped Lucien on the cheek, and shouted into his face "IT'S DONE! HE'S OUT KID! BACK DOWN!"

A sudden clarity came over Lucien as the adrenaline wore off. He laughed quietly, thanked Jonesy, and went to check on his opponent. Jackie's eyes were still shut tightly and a black ring was forming around the eye he had hit with the first hammer fist. Lucien's laugh grew a bit louder when it registered that Jackie was out cold. He turned towards the gym, let out a roar, and screamed "WHO'S THE FUCKING MAN?!".

The men began to clap, including Jonesy, applauding the war they had just laid witness to. Jackie's unconscious form was laid on a bench outside the ring, and Lucien took a seat beside it, waiting for his friend/enemy to wake up so that he could ask him his questions

* * *

Next chapter, Jackie will be forced have a chat with two strange, suspicious, angry men. One going by the name of John, and the other, Lucien.


	9. Black Eye Aftermath

Thank you so much for your patience. I finally have the laptop, so hopefully updates will be more frequent. This story is still my main focus, despite having nowhere near the amount of popularity that my SAO fic has. This one is still my baby.

Luminous - Stratovarius

Forever - Stratovarius

Lux - Upon This Dawning

Around The Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Shock - Fear Factory

* * *

A loud splashing noise was heard throughout the gym as Lucien dumped the bucket of water he had grabbed onto Jackie's unconscious face. Jackie sat up, fast as lightning, and slipped off the bench he had been laying on, coughing and choking up water the whole time. He wiped the water out of his eyes and finished coughing up a lung, and began looking for his attacker. He soon found his target, in the form of a madly grinning Lucien.

"WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT HAPPENED?!...And why does my head hurt so bad?..."

Lucien laughed, offering a hand to the silvered fellow sitting on the ground at his feet. Jackie took it, and Lucien pulled him back to his feet, ruffling his hair in the process. "You, my friend, got knocked out. I said I'd wait a little bit to see if you'd wake up on you own, but I decided 2 hours was long enough."

Jackie blanched slightly, remembering what had happened in the ring. He was pretty sure he had made some sort of deal with someone as well, but he could not for the life of him remember what it was. He decided to ask Lucien.

"Did we bet on this?..."

Lucien looked at him, his face a mask of shock and surprise. "Jesus Christ. I didn't hit you that hard, did I? You get amnesia? I've got some questions that I need you to answer for me. We agreed that if I won, you would answer them. Obviously, I won".

Lucien walked out the door, after shouting a quick goodbye to Jonesy and the rest of the guys, motioning for Jackie to follow him. Jackie sighed and mumbled to himself "This is gonna be another long night" before chasing after him.

x

"So, what did you need to ask?" Jackie asked, for about the 15th time, as Lucien tossed him a soda from the vending machine. Jackie caught it and sat down on the bench behind him. Lucien bought himself one, and took a seat next to him, his posture reflecting some kind of worry, and his face doing nothing to dull that image.

"Hey, man you doin-"

"Don't!...Don't…speak…Just give me a second" Lucien snapped at Jackie, throwing his hand up to block the eyes of Jackie for a moment. He buried his face in his other hand and sighed softly, still blocking Jackie's vision. He grumbled something, just quiet enough for Jackie to not be able to decipher it. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Lucien growled audibly, and turned his head to face Jackie, slowly lowering his hand. "I said, don't fucking look at me". His voice was cold and hateful, and Jackie picked up on that. He looked forward, focusing his attention on the wall as to not let his eyes wander, and gave a small nod, letting Lucien know he was listening. Lucien sighed and leaned back, taking a moment to find the words.

"You and Lilly...What's going on with you two?"

Jackie stifled a chuckle, attempting to shrug off the irony of this situation, as it was obviously lost on Lucien. "What do you mean?"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" Lucien shouted, standing up and towering over Jackie. Jackie was shocked by the sudden change of disposition, but that did not lower his Confrontational instincts. He mimicked Lucien, getting in his face now, looking down slightly, as he was two or three inches taller. "I mean, what the fuck do you mean…Don't waste my fucking time. You may win in the ring, but these are the streets. I'm undefeated out here, motherfucker".

Lucien put his hands on his hips and turned away so he didn't have to look Jackie in the face as he said this. "Gah…I'm not here to fight. I'm sorry…"

Jackie heard the soft waver in his voice, and decided it was time to give the guy a break. "Listen, man. I don't get what you're asking, alright? Just give me a quick explanation, I'll give you your answer, and we can go our own ways, alright?"

Lucien sighed, and looked up at the dark sky above him, muttering curses under his breath. After taking a moment to himself, he turned back to face Jackie…Although, it didn't take him long to realize he wasn't going to be able to ask him looking at his face, so he focused on his shoes.

"…What is she to you?..."

"…Who?"

"Lilly."

Jackie was hit by a sudden wave of nervousness and panic, realizing he didn't know what to tell him. I mean, he couldn't just come out and say "We're a team of supernatural crime fighting superheroes!" could he? He decided against that, instead going with option B. Stall for time until he could think of something to tell him.

"What tells you she's anything to me?"

"Don't fuck around with me here, Jackie. I saw you carrying her home the other night."

'Shit, shot down. Let's try a new tactic. Be overly confrontational.' Jackie thought to himself, now a lot more worried than he should be. He could have given a simple answer like, "She's a good friend" and Lucien would have been off his back, but Jackie was not the brightest bulb in the shed.

"I'm sorry, but what makes this your business?"

"That girl is what makes this my business, considering she's the closest thing to family I've got. Now, I swear to god if you keep fucking stalling I'll call her up and ask her, and you know she's not the type to lie about anything when confronted."

'Shit, he's onto me' Jackie thought. 'MAKE SOMETHING UP!' the voice of Skoll shouted in his head. Jackie decided to not bother with scolding him for eavesdropping, and instead took his advice.

"We're a couple!" Jackie blurted out, immediately kicking himself for coming up with such an idiotic excuse. Lucien recoiled at those words, and went silent. Awkward silence enveloped the two, before Lucien broke it with a low growl, and a word or two Jackie did not hear.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said bullshit. That's fucking bullshit. I'm calling her up. You stay quiet". Jackie gulped and froze, praying for some sort of miracle or answer from the gods. Anything to prevent the inevitable. Lucien pulled his small black phone out of his back pocket and dialed a number, making sure to turn it on speaker. It rang a few times, before a shuffling was heard on the other end of the line. Soon, a freshly woken Lilly came through loud and clear.

"H…Hello?..." She mumbled, obviously still tired (Most likely exhausted from her encounter with the TV world.)

"Hey Lil's. It's Lucien…What are you doing sleeping? It's like 3…Ahh, whatever. I didn't call you to hassle you. I'm here with Jackie". It was funny how much his voice changed when he talked to Lilly. It was much softer. You could feel that he cared about her through the tone alone. Jackie wondered to himself why he hadn't noticed this before, before remembering he was completely fucked. He crossed his fingers, praying for a miracle.

"So, I got a question I need you to answer for me…It's not necessarily an easy question to ask, so I'm just going to take a minute to find the way to word it".

"Wait, Jackie's there? Jackie! You didn't tell him, did you?! I thought we weren't supposed to tell anyone…"

An enormous pressure suddenly lifted from Jackie's shoulders, and he mentally thanked the gods for this misunderstanding. Lucien froze, his jaw dropped slightly from shock. Jackie chuckled softly, his confidence refilling him, knowing he had gotten away with his stupid lie for another day or two. He spoke up, answering for the stunned Lucien.

"We're not. Sorry, Lilly. I'll explain it all to you Monday, alright? This sharp cookie here figured it out all on his own. Now, get some sleep, alright? You're still exhausted from the other day, right?"

"Oh, yes. Definitely…Thanks again for that, Jackie…Lucien, was that all you needed to ask me?"

Jackie stifled a chuckle, thanking god for his good fortune. This could not have been going better for him. This Lucien seemed to cringe slightly at the mention of his name, finally coming out of his stunned state, into a quiet wave of anger.

"Yup. Thanks Lil's. That's all I needed to know. Bye" Lucien finished the call calmly, trying to keep the edge off his voice, as he shut his phone, not allowing Lilly to respond. Jackie mentally fist pumped and tried to keep the smile off his face, as he tried to act upset that Lucien had figured out his 'Secret'.

"Happy now?" Jackie grumbled, trying to sound annoyed. Lucien just sat there and stared at his phone silently, ignoring Jackie's comment. Jackie was now starting to get nervous, expecting a large blowout to come at any second. His assumption was proven correct by Lucien screaming "FUCK!", throwing his phone against the wall of the store and storming off down the street, throwing trash cans and loose signs in the ground, as well as screaming at anyone who even looked at him. Jackie watched quietly before remembering he didn't care what happened to that boy, at which point he stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugged, and began the long walk home. In retrospect, Jackie was glad Lucien broke his own phone. That meant that this little misunderstanding couldn't be cleared up yet.

x

"Jackie…Come. Sit down. We need to have a talk."

Jackie sighed, kicking his boots off and shutting the door behind him, before casually sitting down at the table John was sitting at. John glanced at his black eye and flinched. He took a moment to collect himself before pointing to his eye and speaking up.

"That wasn't there this morning, was it?" he asked, his voice full of concern. He shook his head, but did not speak, trying to avoid incriminating himself any more than he already had. The two sat in awkward silence until John sighed loudly and rested his head on his hands, rubbing his eyes. He was obviously stressed enough with the town's happenings, and didn't feel he needed to throw a delinquent teenager on top of that…Although; he tried to avoid jumping to conclusions.

"Jackie…What's going on with you?...I've heard a lot of not good things about you recently, but I want to hear from you what's really happening. It's a small town. People like to gossip. I don't want to believe them, and I don't plan on it, if you can just explain some stuff."

Jackie let out a low growl, frustrated that people were already talking about him. He had just got there, after all. He really just wanted to be left alone. He had enough issues at home. He didn't need to throw a big pile of them on in another town, which he was actually starting to like.

"Well, what have you heard?" Jackie asked, trying to keep his voice cool and emotionless.

John seemed to recoil slightly at his words, as if surprised that Jackie was being so co-operative. He cleared his throat and asked him the first question.

"I heard you've been hanging around Lucien…"

"You know that kid? He's got quite the reputation here, I guess. I'm not surprised ". Jackie smiled slightly, and turned to the side, giving John a better view of his eye, pointing to it. "Actually, he's where I got this".

John sighed, already not liking the direction this was going. "Is he one of the kids people have seen you getting in fights with?"

"Eeeeyup. We've gone at it a couple times…Hey, this one was sanctioned, though. We did it that little gym in downtown. Renton MMA club, or something like that" Jackie answered nonchalantly.

John nodded, assuming Jackie would probably be spending a lot of time down there now that he had been introduced to a source for his aggression his sister had warned him about so vividly. "Anyone else? I've heard there's been a couple with a group of two guys…Actually, I heard you had a scuffle with them today as well."

Jackie bit his lip, stifling a small chuckle at the mere mention of the two and gave John his answer. "That would be correct. They're just a couple of thugs who work for Lucien…Or, used to, I think. Pretty sure they got fired today. Whatever. I don't really care about them. They jumped me. I fought back. I might have had fun doing it, but I did not cause it. You can clear that story with Emily. She was there when they came by. I sent her ahead so she didn't see".

John nodded again, remembering Emily mentioning some "Big scary guys" talking to Jackie.

"Alright, you're off the hook for the fighting…as long as you try to keep it in the gym…Now, next topic" John responded, leaving out the part about him being a bit of a scrapper at Jackie's age. Jackie threw his head back in a tired sort of annoyance, when he heard there was more.

"Your blonde friend…Lilly, right? Well, do me a favor and be careful alright? Her dad's a big shot. And I mean, add a couple 0's to my paycheck big. Do not give him a reason to not like you, understand?" John continued. Jackie made a mental note of that, and deciding he would probably not be stopping by Lilly's house late at night very often.

"…On top of that, if you end up carrying her home again, wear your hood. I'm not gonna ask why you were carrying her home, but just…Just be safe, alright?" John finished, flashing Jackie a small smile. Jackie returned the smile, and John finally noticed the fangs.

"My god, you've got some sharp teeth…" John exclaimed.

Jackie flinched at the mention of them, and quickly hid them again. "Don't ask. Trust me, you'd rather not know" Jackie responded. John opened his mouth as if to let his curiosity get the better of him and indeed ask, but closed it, deciding against it in the end. The two stood up to leave the table and go their separate ways, Jackie to his room, and John presumably off to work, but John stopped Jackie halfway up the stairs by calling his name. Jackie turned back to face him, his eyebrow raised in a questioning manner, and John took a second to find the words.

"Jackie, thanks for being honest with me…I know it's gotta be rough getting shipped out here all of a sudden, but….You're a good kid. I can see that in you…Just, try and stay out of trouble". Jackie smiled at the prospect of being called good kid and gave John a small nod before turning and going up the stairs and to his room. John stuck his hands in his pockets, shook his head, and headed out for work, walking through the chilling wind to what was expected to be another 20 hour shift.

Jackie turned at the top of the stairs, prepared to walk down the hallway and head to his room. He took three steps, and tripped over something he did not see, bashing his head on the hardwood floor below. On the way down he heard a high pitched squeak, and felt something move. He quickly rolled over and sat up, seeing a small blonde girl sprinting down the hallway. She ran through a door, slamming it shut behind her, as Jackie pulled himself to his feet. He took a moment to shake the cobwebs out, and remembered that, in fact, a small blonde girl did live here. He must have tripped over little Emily. He smiled, at the novelty of it and shook his head, before having the thought that he may be hurt. He sighed and headed towards the bathroom Emily had showed him the first aid kit was in when he had bashed his head.

He took the small white box from the medicine cabinet and walked up to Emily's door, knocking on it softly and informing her he was coming in. She said nothing and he slowly opened the door, taking a look around the girl's room. It was a very standard little girl's room. The walls were a soft calming shade of purple and there were various pictures and toys throughout the room. There were two focal points of the room. One was her large wooden desk, with a few pictures on top of John, her, and a woman he did not recognize. 'Her hair was a lot shorter back then' Jackie thought to himself.. The other was a large bed, a bit too big for her, that she sat on top of, staring at her feet trying to hide her embarrassment. Jackie chuckled quietly and took a desk in the desk chair, turning it to face her.

"So…What happened?" Jackie asked gently, trying to sound as warm and friendly as possible. She quickly looked away and mumbled something. Jackie did not hear her and asked she repeat it for him. She seemed to panic, as her words were very rushed and louder than anything he had heard out of her before. "IWASN'TLISTENINGTOYOUANDDADORANYTHINGLIKETHAT!" She shouted before quickly covering her mouth and looking down again, trying to hide her blush and the welling tears of embarrassment.

Jackie's eyes widened slightly at the outburst, before breaking into a small fit of laughter over the suddenness of her cry. He collected himself and shook his head, lightly slapping his own cheek to snap him out of it. "Alright, alright…" he said, interrupting himself with the clearing of his throat.

"So…How much did you hear? He asked casually. Emily looked up at him, her eyes wide and her face resembling that of a deer in headlights. She quickly looked back down again, trying to avoid his silver eyes. She began to mumble again, and Jackie turned his ear towards her, bringing his head closer so that he could listen.

"I might of kinda…maybe I kinda sorta heard most of it…"

She perked up suddenly, a look of worry on her face. "You guys weren't fighting, were you?..." she asked.

Jackie smiled and leaned forward, patting her head. As he sat back again he took a long breath. "I'm not really sure…He just seems to be worried about me…" Jackie said an air of shame and disappointment radiating from his weak smile. He snickered pathetically and pointed to the black circle around his eye. "This didn't help."

Emily seemed to get distracted when she noticed his eye, and the topic was quickly changed. "My friend Willy gets those a lot. He says he gets them in fights, but I don't really believe him" she said. Jackie's face grew stern momentarily, but before Emily even noticed it had shifted back into his mask of calmness, resembling that of a big brother.

"I'd like to meet Willy some time if that's alright...I know a lot about how to deal with these things."

Emily nodded in agreement, and the two proceeded to talk about various things for a long time. Jackie's mind kept drifting back to that picture, but he would push it away, saying it wasn't his business. This happened over and over again, before eventually he gave into temptation and picked up the picture, pointing to the smiling blonde woman. Jackie should have made the obvious connection, considering the long blonde hair and similar features, but he did not, and proceeded to ask her. "Who is that lady, Emily?"

"That? Oh. That was my mom."

* * *

Sudden halt. Cliffhanger of sorts. Next time we finally get to learn Emily's mother, and why she's not around.

NOTE: Imagine if Jackie had the fool arcana. He'd be knocking like 4 or 5 social links up daily.


End file.
